ADRIANO: A new technology for construction 4.0 based on 3D printing
May 16, 2024
EU.FFICIENT: CO-CREATION, THE FUTURE OF COLLABORATIVE INNOVATION IN EUROPE
June 7, 202404/06/2024
The Heat and Mass Transfer Technology Center (CTTC) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) participated in the Economic COgeneration by Efficiently COncentrated SUNlight (ECOSUN) project to develop a low-cost, concentrated thermal and photovoltaic cogeneration system that increases the system’s electrical efficiency. This was achieved by reducing the absorption temperature of solar radiation and utilising the residual heat obtained from cooling the photovoltaic modules, to meet the thermal needs for heating or cooling through an absorption machine.
The CTTC of the UPC worked on the thermal and fluid dynamic optimisation of the thermal-photovoltaic concentration receiver by numerically simulating the entire device under different geometries and working conditions. This technology is designed for domestic and industrial applications. Potential application cases were studied under various environmental conditions for different regions and countries of use. A first prototype was validated under real operating conditions. The numerical results indicate an increase in the overall heat transfer coefficient of between 25% and 30%.
Consortium, budget and funding
The project also involved the Institute of Electrical Measurement and Sensor Systems of the University of Graz (Austria) and the Solar Energy Research Center of Ankara University. ECOSUN started in February 2020 and ended in January 2023. It had a total budget of €1,281,639 from the European ERA-LEARN programme.
Related Projects
- A research team from the inLab FIB at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), together with the Asociación de Personas con Movilidad Reducida (AsoPMR), has taken part in the Spot4Dis project to enhance the mobility and autonomy of people with reduced mobility.
- The La Volta project foresees the construction of a large Catalan vault pergola within the Llars Mundet campus, in the Montbau neighbourhood (Horta-Guinardó district). This structure will become a new architectural landmark for Barcelona, combining traditional construction techniques with contemporary innovation. The project involves the Rehabilitation and Architectural Restoration Research Group (REARQ), at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), and is led by the Architects’ Association of Catalonia (COAC) and the Barcelona Provincial Council.
SATE-VEG: A system for energy renovation of buildings that helps reduce the urban heat island effect
Researchers from the Architecture, Energy and Environment (AiEM) group at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC) have developed SATE-VEG, an external thermal insulation system with a vegetal coating that offers seasonally adaptive thermal behaviour, enhances urban biodiversity and promotes positive health effects. The system is made from organic materials, requires low maintenance and consumes minimal water.- A research team from the Interdisciplinary Group on Building Science and Technology (GICITED) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is leading the BioSAFE project, which aims to develop sustainable building envelopes —mainly façades— designed according to sustainability, comfort and safety criteria, with particular attention to their acoustic behaviour and fire performance.
