Project

Model Based Control and Disinfection of Hot Water Systems

Code
179U06720
Duration
01 January 2020 → 31 December 2021
Funding
Regional and community funding: IWT/VLAIO
Research disciplines
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Public health care not elsewhere classified
  • Engineering and technology
    • Sustainable building
    • Building physics
    • Building technology
    • Energy in buildings and built environments
    • Biological control
Keywords
hot water systems Legionella controller disinfection
 
Project description

The aim of this project is to make an important contribution to reduce the energy use, cost and infection risk during production, storage and distribution of domestic hot water. This is done by lowering the production temperature of domestic hot water, while the Legionella pneumophila risk is kept under control by means of a heat shock regime. It is the ambition within this spin-off mandate to tackle the scientific challenges that will enable the marketing of two core activities, namely the controller and consultancy. The controller prototype will be tested and optimized in a real case study building in order to obtain a legally favorable evaluation. Within the consultancy, the development of a parameterised coupled thermohydraulic-biological simulation model will keep the Legionella pneumophila concentration in a system below the dangerous limit in a more sustainable manner. In this way, energy savings can be estimated when using the proposed preventive measure (case-specific heat shock regime). In addition, curative case-specific solutions are offered for decontamination of existing systems.