An Enhanced Pump Energy Consumption Model and Data-Driven Key Parameter Determination Approach for Field-Operated Central Air-Conditioning Water Systems

Energy-saving renovations of existing central air-conditioning systems have increasingly received recognition. Theoretical energy consumption model (TECM) is commonly used to estimate the baseline energy consumption of water pumps for comprehensive benefit assessments. Nevertheless, the calculated results often exhibit significant discrepancies compared to the actual values. This study proposes a novel enhanced theoretical energy consumption model (EN-TECM) for improving the calculation accuracy of pump energy consumption, focusing on two dimensions: the number and frequency of operating pumps. Then, 576 sets of pump operation data from 29 actual central air-conditioning systems are used as samples to determine the model key parameter. Further, three actual engineering cases are employed to evaluate the application performance of the EN-TECM. The model regression results show a significant reduction in calculation errors across all operating conditions, with the mean relative errors within ±1%. The analysis results of all engineering cases demonstrate that the relative errors of the cumulative total energy consumption decrease by more than 60% compared to the TECM. This research offers a practical and effective method for accurately calculating the energy consumption of chilled water pumps in field-operated central air-conditioning water systems, which will facilitate the advancement of energy-saving retrofitting projects for existing buildings.