Entropy-Driven Environmental Impact Assessment of Condensate-Induced Irreversibility in Integrated Building Energy Systems

In multifunctional and high-energy-density integrated buildings, energy performance and environmental impacts are affected by the environmental conditions in which they are located. Entropy production, which is an output of exergy analysis in energy performance, offers a new evaluation area for energy management in this context. In the study developed for this purpose, the condensate line formed in the steam distribution lines of an integrated building was modeled, and the possible inefficiency potential of the condensate load formed and the usability of the approach developed over entropy production were suggested by energy management. Entropy production due to exergy destruction of distribution lines derived from condensate pump data in the integrated building was evaluated with two environmental indices developed. According to the analysis, the average exergy efficiency for the distribution lines of the integrated building system is 22%, with exergy extinction reaching 78%, indicating a high level of return level. The recovery potential associated with the total exergy flow was calculated as 50.8%, while the entropy generation potential due to the condensation load was 65.3%. From an environmental perspective, the potential for pollution based on entropy has reached 64.9%, while the target energy efficiency level associated with condensate management has been set at 33.5%. The findings suggest that this approach for energy management offers a quantitative evaluation opportunity between thermodynamic irreversibility and environmental performance in buildings. At the end of the study, a comparative analysis of this approach with the classical regression approach for energy management is also given.