Improved district heating substation efficiency with a new control strategy

In this paper, we describe a new alternative control approach for indirectly connected district heating substations. Simulations results showed that the new approach results in an increased ΔT across the substation. Results were obtained for both ideal and non-ideal operation of the system, meaning that less water must be pumped through the district heating network, and a higher overall fuel efficiency can be obtained in the district heating power plants. When a higher fuel efficiency is achieved, the usage of primary fuel sources can be reduced. Improved efficiency also increases the effective heat transfer capacity of a district heating network, allowing more customers to be connected to an existing network without increasing the heating plant or network capacity. Also, if combined heat and power plants are used to produce the heat, the increased ΔT will result in a further improved overall fuel efficiency, as more electricity can be produced with colder cooling water. The idea behind the new control method is to consider the temperature of the water supplying the district heating substation with heat, often referred to as the primary supply temperature. This represents a logical next step, as currently, the only parameter generally taken into account or measured when controlling the temperature level of the radiator circuit is the local outdoor temperature. In this paper we show how the primary supply temperature together with thermodynamic knowledge of the building can be used to maximize the ΔT across the district heating substation.