Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities
Collective heating systems have multiple end-users with time-varying, often different temperature demands. There are several concepts catering to this, e.g., multi-pipe networks and 2-pipe networks with or without decentralised booster systems. In this study, we focus on 2-pipe networks with a chang...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | Energies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/8/3435 |
| _version_ | 1797605662667046912 |
|---|---|
| author | Stef Jacobs Margot De Pauw Senne Van Minnebruggen Sara Ghane Thomas Huybrechts Peter Hellinckx Ivan Verhaert |
| author_facet | Stef Jacobs Margot De Pauw Senne Van Minnebruggen Sara Ghane Thomas Huybrechts Peter Hellinckx Ivan Verhaert |
| author_sort | Stef Jacobs |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Collective heating systems have multiple end-users with time-varying, often different temperature demands. There are several concepts catering to this, e.g., multi-pipe networks and 2-pipe networks with or without decentralised booster systems. In this study, we focus on 2-pipe networks with a changing supply temperature by smart use of decentralised storage. By grouping high-temperature demands, the average supply temperature can be lowered during large parts of the day, which is beneficial for system efficiency. The actual energy-saving potential, however, can be case-specific and is expected to depend on design choices and implemented control strategies. In this paper, these dependencies are assessed and identified by implementing two optimised rule-based control strategies, providing in such a way a bench-mark for other control strategies. The results show that grouping yields energy savings of up to 36% at similar peak demand as with conventional control strategies. The energy-saving potential is greatest for large storage volumes and small networks, but large networks with large storage and proper control choices can also achieve around 30% energy savings. Moreover, high-temperature time can easily be reduced to less than 40% of the day, which could make space cooling without decentralised booster heat pumps possible, but this requires further research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:04:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a488d268214546b2a1d31b97583809ae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:04:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-a488d268214546b2a1d31b97583809ae2023-11-17T19:05:09ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732023-04-01168343510.3390/en16083435Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and OpportunitiesStef Jacobs0Margot De Pauw1Senne Van Minnebruggen2Sara Ghane3Thomas Huybrechts4Peter Hellinckx5Ivan Verhaert6EMIB, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, BelgiumKenniscentrum Energie, Thomas More Kempen, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, BelgiumEMIB, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, BelgiumIDLab, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp-imec, Sint-Pietersvliet 7, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumIDLab, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp-imec, Sint-Pietersvliet 7, 2000 Antwerp, BelgiumFaculty of Applied Engineering–Electronics ICT, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, BelgiumEMIB, Faculty of Applied Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, BelgiumCollective heating systems have multiple end-users with time-varying, often different temperature demands. There are several concepts catering to this, e.g., multi-pipe networks and 2-pipe networks with or without decentralised booster systems. In this study, we focus on 2-pipe networks with a changing supply temperature by smart use of decentralised storage. By grouping high-temperature demands, the average supply temperature can be lowered during large parts of the day, which is beneficial for system efficiency. The actual energy-saving potential, however, can be case-specific and is expected to depend on design choices and implemented control strategies. In this paper, these dependencies are assessed and identified by implementing two optimised rule-based control strategies, providing in such a way a bench-mark for other control strategies. The results show that grouping yields energy savings of up to 36% at similar peak demand as with conventional control strategies. The energy-saving potential is greatest for large storage volumes and small networks, but large networks with large storage and proper control choices can also achieve around 30% energy savings. Moreover, high-temperature time can easily be reduced to less than 40% of the day, which could make space cooling without decentralised booster heat pumps possible, but this requires further research.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/8/3435domestic hot waterDHWdecentralised storagecombined heat distributioncollective heatingtemperature control |
| spellingShingle | Stef Jacobs Margot De Pauw Senne Van Minnebruggen Sara Ghane Thomas Huybrechts Peter Hellinckx Ivan Verhaert Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities Energies domestic hot water DHW decentralised storage combined heat distribution collective heating temperature control |
| title | Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities |
| title_full | Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities |
| title_fullStr | Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities |
| title_short | Grouped Charging of Decentralised Storage to Efficiently Control Collective Heating Systems: Limitations and Opportunities |
| title_sort | grouped charging of decentralised storage to efficiently control collective heating systems limitations and opportunities |
| topic | domestic hot water DHW decentralised storage combined heat distribution collective heating temperature control |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/8/3435 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT stefjacobs groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities AT margotdepauw groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities AT sennevanminnebruggen groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities AT saraghane groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities AT thomashuybrechts groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities AT peterhellinckx groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities AT ivanverhaert groupedchargingofdecentralisedstoragetoefficientlycontrolcollectiveheatingsystemslimitationsandopportunities |