The Dynamic Simulation Program for the Detailed Analysis of Solar Thermal Systems and System Components

Concept

T*SOL® Expert is the simulation program for experts wishing to investigate changes in the physical state of a solar thermal system. It serves research, scientific purposes, expert planners, developers and consultants in the monitoring and optimization of components and systems.

T*SOL® Expert's new project tree is user-friendly, guiding the user through the program, allowing components and system variants to be easily copied. In addition to the full program capabilities of T*SOL® Professional, T*SOL® Expert has a number of special and helpful additional program features:

Parameter Variation

The user is able to run an automatic parameter variation and, through simulation, observe and determine the influence of the different parameters on target values such as the solar fraction, efficiency and the auxiliary power requirement. In this way it is possible to optimize the individual parameters of a component (e.g. the position of the storage tank sensors) for the different ways of operating a solar system.



Monitoring

Measurement data can be processed, evaluated and converted into T*SOL-format via data import. This makes it possible to simulate solar systems using actual system data and compare the simulation results with the actual system output.

Energy Balance

T*SOL® Expert determines all of the energy flows within a system and these can be presented in tabular format or in a flow chart (Senkey diagram). It is therefore possible to present individual component losses in detail.



Meteosynthesis

T*SOL® Expert can produce the hourly data required to simulate a solar system from monthly mean values for irradiation and temperature. This makes it possible for users to enter either actual climate data or data they have produced themselves.
In addition, the database delivered with the program contains radiation and temperature data for almost 2,000 locations around the world.

Additional Program Modules

As with T*SOL® Professional, the Swimming Pool Module makes it possible for an indoor or outdoor pool to be included in the solar cycle. This module provides eleven different system configuration

The Syscat Module for large-scale systems includes large solar buffer stores, external heat exchangers and the use of anti-legionnaires' disease switching.

The Solar Local District Heating module provides a tool for the simulation and design of local district heating systems supported by solar energy with 9 variable system types. Building on the experience of ZfS-Rationellen Energietechnik GmbH, the most important systems (in respect of network structure, the system applications in the buildings connected to the network and the integration of the solar system) are illustrated in T*SOL Expert’s local district heating network module.

Results

All of the data indicating the state of a system and calculated during simulation can be presented in intervals of a minute.

The results presented in T*SOL® Expert therefore deliver a detailed and accurate basis for the optimization of individual components and systems in the planning, design and monitoring of the ideal solar thermal system.