Natural Gas Installations and Networks in Buildings

This book covers theoretical foundations of the Natural Gas (NG) installations and networks as a part of building logistic system, illustrated with digital examples. It describes the NG oxidation phenomena and appropriate energy converting devices used in the building’s energy centres and basic sizing principals of the related pipe networks. Further, it covers usage of NG devices including system for thermal comfort control, building ventilation, indoor air quality, visual comfort, food preparation and conservation, and hygiene maintenance system. A special attention is given to applications of the NG technological equipment, using gas-driven heat pumps, micro heat and power systems. Aimed at professionals and graduate students in the areas of HVAC, Plumbing, Architecture, Electricians, this book: Presents complex, innovative and systematical approach to NG installations in buildings. Reviews efficient and environmentally sustainable dementalization approach to building energy supply, using NGmHps v/s central energy supply systems. Explains pre-designating calculations of the gas piping networks. Illustrates structures, principals of operation and building project implementations of the modern GN energy converters and transformers as fuel cells (SOFC, MOFC, PEFC) and NG driven heat pumps. Discusses calculation methods derived from professional case studies.

1.Introduction1.1Gas pipe networks and systems as elements of the building logistics1.2Fuel gas, current state and perspectives 2.Theoretical foundations of gas pipe networks and installations2.1Physico-mechanical properties of fuel gas as a primary energy source. 2.2Transmission parameters of fuel gas2.3Basic terms and laws2.3.1Gas flow rate and thermal power. A link between gas flow rate and decrease of gas-dynamic losses – Kirchhoff’s law for gas pipe networks2.3.2Law of continuity 2.3.3Law of balance between intake flow rate and exhaust flow rate at a knot 2.3.4Bernoulli’s principle (for real fluids) 2.3.5Law of the gas-dynamic head in a pipe 2.3.6Darcy’s law (concerning gas-dynamic losses of pressure in linear pipeline sections) 2.3.7Calculation of the parameters of natural gas - examples 2.4Fuel gas thermodynamics2.4.1Law of gas state2.4.2Charle’s law 2.4.3Boyles law2.4.3Graham’s law for gas diffusion2.5Fuel gas combustion2.5.1Fuel cell classification and characteristics. Advantages and disadvantages2.5.2Fuel gas cells in household micro-cogeneration systems (mHPS)2.5.3Technical characteristics of mHPS2.6Gas flame and combustion devices 2.7Flameless combustion of fuel gas and combustion devices 3.Gas supply of urbanized regions 3.1Territorial (state) pipe network of gas transport 3.2Urban and regional gas networks. Classification. Structure 3.3Decentralization of building power supply. Energy centers 3.3.1Gas supply of buildings. Types of gas-supplied energy centers (GEC) of buildings. Classification3.3.2Structure of the gas regulating station in a gas EC 3.3.3Gas boiler / mHPS room3.4Systems exhausting gas waste 3.4.1Open system exhausting gas combustion products via natural convection 3.4.2Open systems with forced convection3.4.3Centralized systems exhausting gas combustion products by means of forced convection 3.4.4Releasing devices (terminals) installed on the building envelope3.5Design of a pipe network3.5.1Structure of gas pipe networks in residential and public buildings3.5.2Calculation of pipe networks 4.Main building systems operating with fuel gas4.1System for thermal comfort control 4.1.1Need for thermal comfort and accessible levels of thermal loads of occupied areas4.1.2Classification of systems providing thermal comfort 4.1.3Advantages and disadvantages of gas radiant heating installations4.2Gas equipment and control of indoor air quality4.2.1Indoor air quality and methods of its attainment 4.2.2Building ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ)4.2.3Gas equipment and building ventilation4.3System for visual comfort and gas equipment4.3.1Visual comfort in buildings4.3.2Visual comfort gas lighting fixtures4.3.3Design steps in the calculation of a visual control system4.4Gas equipment in a system for food preparation and conservation 4.4.1System for food preparation and conservation4.4.2Household kitchens and gas appliances 4.4.3Commercial kitchen arrangement 4.5Hygiene maintenance systems 4.5.1Structure of a hygiene maintenance system. A domestic hot water system4.5.2Gas water heaters of a hygiene maintenance system4.5.3Combined schemes of water heating in systems for hygiene maintenance 4.5.4Gas dryers in systems for hygiene maintenance4.5.5Calculation of hygiene maintenance systems4.6Gas heat pumps in engineering installations of buildings 4.6.1Heat pumps operating as increasing thermal transformers. Classification4.6.2Gas vapor-compression heat pumps 4.6.3Operation of a gas heat pump 4.6.4Heat pumps driven by NG and available on the market- an investment point of view4.7Necessity of increasing the share of gas devices in a building 4.7.1Gas micro-cogenerating systems in domestic autonomous energy centers 4.7.2Importance of gas micro-cogenerating systems for national energy strategy 5.Conclusions and Acknowledgement 6.Appendix 7.References

Prof. Alexander V. Dimitrov, DSc., PhD. is a practical engineer with over twenty years of experience in designing installations in buildings located in Bulgaria, Europe and North America. He taught Mechanical Engineering in four major Bulgarian and European universities in Bulgaria. He is very prolific author with over 11 technical books written in English and Bulgarian and published in North America and Europe. Currently, he also serves as a scientific consultant in Overgas Inc., the biggest Bulgarian natural gas distribution company. His newest book "Natural Gas Building’s installations and systems" is oriented to present new technologies using natural gas in various building systems, including in the BEC (energy centers), STC(systems for thermal comfort), BVS (ventilation systems), BSHM (system for maintenance and hygiene ), as well BSP&SF(systems for preparing and food preservation). The author gives the theoretical fundamentals of the natural gas installations as well as more than 40 practical examples. DSc. Dimitrov is passionate about science and math and when he is not busy writing and lecturing is dedicated to teaching science and math to the younger generation.