Energy and water saving potential with rainwater-based evaporative cooling and toilet flushing

IF 6.2 2区工程技术 Q1 CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY

Developments in the Built Environment Pub Date : 2025-07-01 DOI:10.1016/j.dibe.2025.100702

Viktor La Torre Rapp , Jörgen Wallin , Jesper Knutsson

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Addressing the limited research on integrated rainwater utilization for cooling, this study assesses a dual-purpose rainwater harvesting system for indirect evaporative cooling and toilet flushing in three cities in Sweden during 2015–2023. Using climate data and a validated model, water and energy savings in residential and commercial buildings were evaluated. Simulation was conducted to reach 90 % of evaporative cooling water demand, redirecting water to toilet flushing during low cooling periods. Annual water demand ranged from 7 to 22 m³/(m³/s), covering 28–58 % of cooling demand. Energy savings reached 34 % with water savings between 13 and 28 %. Suggested system size yielded energy savings of 1–28 % and water savings of 8–28 %. The seasonal coefficient of performance varied strongly with operational time and cooling demand. This study provides crucial data on the synergetic benefit of such a system, bridging the knowledge gaps on their practical performance and potential on enhancing building resource efficiency.

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雨水蒸发冷却和抽水马桶的节能和节水潜力

针对雨水综合利用用于冷却的研究有限的问题，本研究评估了2015-2023年瑞典三个城市用于间接蒸发冷却和厕所冲洗的双重用途雨水收集系统。利用气候数据和经过验证的模型，对住宅和商业建筑的节水和节能进行了评估。进行了模拟，以达到蒸发冷却水需求的90%，在低冷却期将水重新用于厕所冲洗。年需水量为7 ~ 22 m3/s，可满足28 ~ 58%的制冷需求。节能达34%，节水达13%至28%。建议的系统尺寸节省了1 - 28%的能源和8 - 28%的水。性能的季节系数随运行时间和冷却需求的变化很大。本研究提供了有关该系统的协同效益的重要数据，弥合了有关其实际性能和提高建筑资源效率潜力的知识差距。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Developments in the Built Environment Multiple-

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

1.20%

发文量

审稿时长

22 days

期刊介绍： Developments in the Built Environment (DIBE) is a recently established peer-reviewed gold open access journal, ensuring that all accepted articles are permanently and freely accessible. Focused on civil engineering and the built environment, DIBE publishes original papers and short communications. Encompassing topics such as construction materials and building sustainability, the journal adopts a holistic approach with the aim of benefiting the community.