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CURRICULUM VITAE
CURRENT POSITION
Consulting professional
Energy concepts for passive buildings and solar cooling
ACE – Andrea Costa Engineering
Pfaelzerstr. 75
83109 Grosskarolinenfeld, Germany
Ph. 01149 8031 352745
E-mail: ace.andrea.costa@gmail.com
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2005 – present:
Private consulting professional – ACE, Canada/Germany
2002-2006:
École Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
Research associate
1992-2002:
Center for Applied Energy Research (ZAE Bayern), Munich, Germany
| 1996-2002: |
Senior engineer |
| 1992-1996: |
Junior engineer |
EDUCATION
1986-1991:
University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany
| 1991: |
Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Physics Engineering (M. Sc.) |
1982-1984:
University of Brescia, Italy
4 Semesters Human Medicine
1975-1980:
Scientific Secondary School, Verona, Italy
BUILDINGS: ACCOMPLISHED PROJECTS
2005 – 2007:
Energy concept for a 4-storied office building in passive-house standard in Bolzano, Italy. Private consulting activity.
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Goal is a certified passive house standard (Yearly heating consumption lower than 15 kWh/m2K).
Combined centralized and decentralised ventilation concept due to partial building renovation and enlargement.
Assessment of potential for cooling load reduction by passive methods (night ventilation, desiccant cooling, radiant-evaporative cooling, building mass activation).
Calculation of heating and cooling loads (PHPP and Energy-10 software).
Assessment of trigeneration concepts and comparison with biomass or photovoltaic-based absorption or compression heat pumps.
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2004 – 2006:
Integrated energy systems for zero-net energy residential buildings (Industrial project partly funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)
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Determination of reference buildings.
Evaluation, modification and development of TRNSYS modules to be used in dynamic simulations.
Development of a TRNSYS module for the simulation of absorption heat pumps and chillers working at part load.
Simulation of power-based and heat-based integrated systems to predict the combinations with largest impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
Formulation of a TRNSYS-based software to be used by planning professionals for the calculation and comparison of investment costs, net-energy consumption or production and, reduction of greenhouse gases.
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1999-2001:
Co-planning of the energy supply concept for a new building in passive house standard with offices and laboratories. ZAE, Departments 1 and 4, Germany.
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Architectural optimisation of passive solar thermal gains and loads (use of Energy-10 software).
Minimised active HVAC loads through the use of a solar assisted heat pump/chiller and heat recovery in the ventilation system.
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1994:
Design of a solar-driven air conditioning system for the ZAE building.
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Definition of cooling demand dependent on external and and internal loads.
Design of the heating circuit including evacuated tube solar collectors, piping, storage tank and absorption chiller, and of the cooling circuit including the chiller, piping and ceiling cooling panels (convective/radiant).
Definition of the control strategy.
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1993:
In charge of the supervision of and negotiation with involved companies within the construction of a new low-energy building for the ZAE, Dept. 1
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Investigations about different insulation materials and low-temperature heating systems.
Piping and tubing design of the low-temperature floor heating system. |
ENERGY SUPPLY SYSTEMS FOR BUILDINGS: ACCOMPLISHED PROJECTS
2007 – present:
Set-up of a laboratory for solar cooling at the European Academy of Bolzano, Italy. Private consulting activity.
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Design of the solar cooling plant. The lab must achieve highest flexibility in order to implement different chillers and test them under different, simulated climatic conditions.
Themohydraulic design of the components.
Couching during construction, commissioning and chiller tests.
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2006 – present:
Development of a commercial solar assisted chiller for residential and small-commercial buildings. Private industrial consulting activity.
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Refining of existing, previous thermodynamic concept.
Adaptment of the concept for commercialisation.
Design, construction and tests of the pre-commercial chiller.
Design of the final chiller, interaction with production depatment for set-up of the production line.
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2002-2004:
Development of novel heat pumps for the North-American context (Project funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Ministére des Ressources Naturelles du Québec).
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Extension of work done in a former collaboration with European partners in order to determine key parameters defining an absorption heat pump / air conditioning system adapted to Canadian conditions.
Set-up of a new laboratory and research group.
Design, construction and test of laboratory scale units at pre-commercial level.
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2001-2002:
Development of new gas driven sorption systems for Canadian conditions (Co-operation with École Polytechnique of Montreal funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)
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Extension of work done in a former European project in order to determine key parameters (refrigerant, working cycle, climate, habits and comfort, economics, environmental regulations) defining a sorption air conditioning system adapted to Canadian conditions.
Design, construction and test of a laboratory scale unit.
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2000-2001:
SOLHEATCOOL - Pre-commercial design of a solar driven absorption chiller of 10 kW cooling capacity (European project funded by the European Community)
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Design of the cooling machine and dimensioning of components.
Test of components and initial operation.
Measurements and analysis of data.
Amelioration of prototype design.
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2000-2001:
Development of an absorption chiller product line of small and middle cooling capacity for co-generation plants (industrial project)
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Definition of principle layout and control strategy.
Design of the cooling machine and dimensioning of components.
Maximisation of compactness and compatibility among the units of different capacity.
Optimisation of manufacturing procedures.
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1996-1998:
SACMO-project. European project funded by the European Community in co-operation with ATECNIC Ltd., Portugal
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Development of a solar/gas driven absorption chiller prototype of 25 kW cooling capacity.
Definition of principle layout and control strategy.
Development of software tools (EES).
Design of the cooling machine and dimensioning of components.
Manufacturing and initial operation.
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1995:
POSAC- project. European study partly funded by the European Community
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Estimation of potential and needs for cooling in South-European countries.
Review of state of the art of absorption cooling machines and desiccant cooling systems.
Investigation of possible combination of solar collectors - cooling techniques.
Judgement of economic viability.
Milestones for further developments.
Definition of a demonstration project.
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1995:
Comparative study of catalyst systems for Schiedel GmbH, a major German chimney manufacturer (industrial project)
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Investigation of state of the art of housing chimneys and catalyst systems.
Principles of functioning.
Viability analysis: energy savings, pollution, economics.
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1994:
Comparative study of absorption heat pumps for residential housing for Viessmann AG, a major German furnace manufacturer (industrial project)
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Investigation of state of the art of absorption heat pumps, market review.
Investigation of absorption heat pumps efficiency in different heating operation modes and with different heat sources.
Investigation of innovative high-efficient working pairs and working cycles.
Review of carried out R&D-projects. |
ACCOMPLISHED PROJECTS
2004-2006:
Energy Efficiency and Eco-Industrial Clusters in the Pulp and Paper Industry (Industrial project partly funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Ministére des Ressources Naturelles du Québec)
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In-depth process energy analysis of a mill to quantify technically feasible options for a significant reduction or elimination of fossil fuel consumption, upgrading waste heat to useful temperature levels and, creating a potential for exporting power, hot water and low pressure steam.
Quantification of environmental benefits such as, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and of thermal pollution of receptor water streams.
Work-out of an optimal thermo-economic design of an energy upgrading and converting system based on the results of the first two parts of the case study. The system will include a trigeneration unit with an absorption heat pump and a stand alone heat transformer.
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1998-2000:
Development of a news small-capacity absorption air conditioning system for recreational vehicles (industrial project)
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Investigation of comfort conditions in hot and humid climates.
Simulation of the cooling demand by means of real weather data.
Thermodynamic and technical comparison among possible refrigerants.
Design of the cooling machine.
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1993:
Design of a 6 kW chiller for pasteurisation processes (Industrial project commissioned by CTS, Italy)
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Thermodynamic comparison of different working fluids.
Thermohydraulic design of the prototype.
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1992:
Assistance in the design of a double effect, high-efficiency absorption chiller with 50 kW cooling capacity (Industrial project commissioned by INCAPSA S.A., S
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Tel. +39 0471 055 330
Fax +39 0471 055 339
