Digital twins are an ever-present term when it comes to new opportunities due to digitalisation. A digital twin is a specific virtual representation of a physical object, which is updated repeatedly according to real world data, representing the state of the physical object. In turn it is possible to act on the physical object based on the knowledge inferred from the virtual representation (model), thus closing the cycle between physical and virtual representation.
Examples for digital heat pump twins:
Austria: AIT developed and implemented a digital twin of a heat pump connected to a complex laboratory test infrastructure to facilitate heat pump tests according to EN-14528 and EN-14511 standards. The efficiency of the test procedure depends strongly on the settings by the operators and their experience in the handling of interactions between the heat pump and the test infrastructure. A Modelica model of a heat pump is linked with the real data from the test to form a digital twin. The digital twin provides the operator with suggestions for optimal settings, which previously could only be derived in a time-consuming and iterative manner during test operation. Also, a calibrated heat pump model is created with each test that can be used further.
Denmark: Digitalizing heat pumps and refrigeration systems enables improved performances and sophisticated controls, which supports the integration into smart grids. These services require increased knowledge about the system during operation, which may be obtained by the use of digital twins. DTI’s project aims at making the use of digital twins for large-scale heat pump and refrigeration systems more accessible to potential users, to decrease the application barriers and to demonstrate the benefits at existing systems. Several reusable, modular, and self-learning models are developed to reduce modelling effort as well as advanced methods for analysing the systems with respect to specific services. This enables not only an efficient implementation process and thereby decreased investment cost of digital twins, but also enhanced exploitation of the system potentials.
Germany: Currently, the development phases of building energy technology components are often characterized by complex and time-consuming prototype tests in test bench environments. Particularly with regard to controller parameterization and optimization, boundary conditions on the test stand can only be varied to a limited extent or do not adequately reflect real conditions. RWTH’s research project aims to develop digital twins of heat pumps and fuel cells to reduce R&D times and to offer new services for optimized operation. In particular, digital twins serve as solution for control platform development, model predictive control, fault detection, and predictive maintenance.
Figure 2: Digital twin concept for large-scale heat pump and refrigeration system (source: Danish Technological Institute)
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