Abstract
The aim of the study was to develop data informed physical models for simulation of district heating (DH) grids for better presentation of hydraulic and thermal aspects in the DH grids integrating heat prosumers. A DH grid organized as a ring and integrating a heat prosumer from a data center was analyzed. In this study, an extensive analysis for thermal and hydraulic aspects of theDH grid considering different configurations of distributed sources was performed. Different configurations for the prosumer connection, the return to return and the return to supply, together with the pressure and temperature control, were investigated. The results showed that increasing the share of renewable heat from the prosumer to the DH grid caused a pressure imbalance in substations close to it. Variable speed pump control was the solution for these issues and it gave up to 34% electricity savings. Lowering temperature levels in the DH network led to a decrease in DH heat losses of up to 14%. The return to supply configuration showed advantages in integrating the prosumer, as regards lower return temperatures and better waste heat utilization. The results indicated the main hydraulic and thermal features of integrating the prosumer in the DH grid.
Highlights
The use of renewable energy and waste energy is highly necessary to combat climate change [1]
The study analyzed the operation of a data center as a heat prosumer for the district heating (DH) ring on the university campus in Trondheim
The analysis identified that utilization of the waste heat from the local heat prosumer had both advantages and limitations
Summary
The use of renewable energy and waste energy is highly necessary to combat climate change [1]. Future district heating and cooling (DHC) systems may enable transition to a complete renewable society [2,3], meaning that they will be based on completely renewable energy, such as solar, waste heat and geothermal energy. The role of district heating (DH) in future energy systems has been consistently studied, whether by statistical or analytical approaches, with a focus on parameters such as buildings’ heat energy demand, possibilities of using local renewable energy sources (RES), design, control and management, etc. Demand for heating in Norwegian buildings is expected to be up to 18% lower in all building types by 2050 [10] This makes the efficient utilization of RES in DH even more essential, because DH will still be a promising solution for most users and should meet the newest energy and environmental regulations
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