Development of Models for Long-Term Simulations of District Heating Networks at High Temporal and Spatial Resolutions
Abstract
In innovative district heating systems with integration of distributed renewable heat sources dynamic processes in the pipe network, such as flow reversals due to decentral feed-in, are getting more important. To investigate the effects of these processes, a dynamic thermo-hydraulic model for district heating networks using Modelica is developed. The new model builds upon available model libraries and adds improvements and design principles, that enable fast and accurate simulations. It is successfully validated against other software and measured data. Annual simulations of a district heating network with 85 consumer units can be run at a high temporal resolution of 3 minutes for all pipe segments including house lead-in pipes within 6 hours on a regular computer.