The objective of this project is to create a digital design guide for combined heat pump and chiller (HPC) plants in order to more effectively realize the efficiency benefits and cost savings from this technology throughout Department of Defense (DoD). 

Currently, ad-hoc designs without standardized systems and workflows have shown to be more costly and time-consuming than proposed methods. This design and commissioning guide will allow more robust and scalable HPC plant deployment to various DoD regions by using standardized HPC plant design configurations and an accessible, DoD-compliant workflow that is based on open software interoperability standards of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). 

These standardized HPC plant design configurations are built as a scalable platform of HPC plant solutions that include predefined hydronic configurations and control sequences. The HPC plant solutions are modular to allow customization within well-defined system architectures. Each of these system architectures has been extensively tested by the guide developers with novel dynamic simulation of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, building loads and feedback control to ensure that designs are robust before being added to the design guide. The scalable platform enables an industrial – rather than ad-hoc – design-build-operate workflow for HPC plants, similar to how other DoD assets are produced in an industrialized manner. 

Dynamic models of the energy and control system serve as a basis for the design tool, which exports schematics, digitalized control specifications and semantic models, conforming to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command-approved standardization requirements. These exported documents provide a basis for mechanical designers to create bidding and detailed construction documents. The exported control specifications conform to ASHRAE Standard 231P (Control Description Language) and ASHRAE Standard 223P (Semantic Interoperability) to enable a digitalized, repeatable control deployment, installation and testing. The guide allows incorporation of best practices from industry and operational feedback, thereby facilitating rapid deployment of best practices through release of updated versions of the guide. The standard designs facilitate prefabrication to improve installation cost-effectiveness and quality.

Implementing standardized, modular HPC designs benefits the DoD by improving the potential range of HPC deployment by making it easier for installation energy managers and leadership to understand what types of solutions would work on their base, granting easier access to energy resilience and operational reliability for their installation. Digital design workflows and prefabrication of HPC reduces costs and speeds up deployment. These innovations modernize current infrastructure and support domestic industry, enhancing national energy security and cutting costs for the DoD. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2028)