Concept development of an industrial waste heat based micro DH network

Abstract

District heating (DH) systems are an effective and efficient way to address the challenges of urban areas in terms of energy efficiency, use of renewables and CO2 emissions reductions [1]. The design and operation strategy of such systems is not always trivial and several questions appear, especially when integrating a significant share of fluctuating, small scale and distributed low temperature heat sources: How to optimize a network design, how to operate a network in an energy and cost efficient way? How to integrate different technologies? How to satisfy customers ‘needs when they have different profiles? This paper briefly presents the CITYOPT project, which aims at creating a web application with guidelines to support efficient planning and detailed design and operation of energy systems in urban districts. A demonstration case for testing the CITYOPT application is then presented: A concept/feasibility analyses for a micro DH network in Vienna, based on industrial waste heat at different temperature levels rejected from a nearby industrial facility. The study includes the consideration of one standard office building, two energy efficient office buildings, existing renewable energy supply (solar thermal heat and heat pumps) and thermal stora ges (long and short term), to balance the heat production and demand. In the future, different configurations of the district network will be modelled and tested through APROS, a multifunctional dynamic simulation tool and linked to the CITYOPT application, in order to determine the optimal design solution.