Thermoactive building component systems (TABS) enable energy efficient cooling and heating of buildings whilst at the same time providing a comfortable room climate. The new version 4 of the Desigo building automation and control system from Siemens Building Technologies Division provides an innovative and unique application with separate heating and cooling curves for the control of such systems.
The thermoactive building component systems are proven technology for thermal climatization of rooms. When planned and installed by experts, they perform well with regard to comfort and energy efficiency. Nevertheless, handling the control technology of the TABS is challenging due to the system dynamic, and conventional control strategies only fulfill comfort and efficiency targets poorly if at all when used for these systems.
The Siemens Building Technologies Division tackles this problem with innovative control strategies that were researched and developed in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research EMPA and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts using extensive simulations and laboratory tests. The new strategies were implemented in an application for weather-controlled heating and cooling groups for inert thermal emission and absorption systems that are included in Version 4 of the Desigo building automation system. In order to fulfill the required comfort conditions and efficiency targets, separate heating and cooling curves are used for this application. The heating and cooling limits can be adjusted individually as required.
A particular advantage of this application is the pump module with which an energy efficient cycle operation of zone pumps can be achieved. Such operation reduces pump runtimes massively and savings of over 50 percent can be made in transport energy. If room temperature control is also required it can be quickly configured thanks to the transparent and modular application assembly. As with all approved Desigo applications the user can also refer to the corresponding visualized Desigo Insight system diagram.
With the new TABS control strategies in Desigo V4, the customer profits from a high level of room comfort with low energy consumption. The application enables year-round, fully automatic operation and can be easily configured and controlled.
Desigo is part of the Siemens environmental portfolio with which the company generated a turnover of approx 23 billion Euros in the business year 2009. That makes Siemens the largest international provider of environmentally friendly technology. Over the same period, our customers have reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 210 million tonnes using our products and solutions.
Desigo is part of Siemens’ Environmental Portfolio. In fiscal 2009, revenue from the Portfolio totaled about €23 billion, making Siemens the world’s largest supplier of ecofriendly technologies. In the same period, our products and solutions enabled customers to reduce their CO2 emissions by 210 million tonnes.
Background information: Thermoactive Building Component Systems (TABS)
Large area, component integrated heating and cooling emission systems are designated as TABS. These systems use the concrete core – mostly floor slabs – for thermal climatization of buildings. Due to the comparatively large transfer surfaces, system temperature differentiations can remain low. That means that the material must only be moderately heated or cooled when heating or cooling respectively. Heating and cooling cycles can also be delayed by relatively large time periods because the activated thermal storage unit of such systems is very large. With careful, integrated planning, these advantages enable energy efficient and sustainable systems ranging from energy generation and distribution to use by the consumer.