District heating and process heat
Efficient and reliable heat supply through smart grids and optimised combined heat and power generation.
Efficient heat supply: from CHP optimisation to the smart grid
The simultaneous generation of electricity and heat results in high efficiency levels and has been successfully implemented at many industrial and municipal sites for the supply of district heating and process heat. As a result, in addition to the usual environmental and boundary conditions, heat extraction has a significant impact on the plants, which is continuously evaluated and reported, for example, in the context of CHP-subsidised plants.
In the field of heating networks – whether municipal or industrial – the diversification and decarbonisation of the generation portfolio (and, in the case of heating networks, decentralisation as well) give rise to new requirements for good control quality and an optimised and secure supply within the networks.
Combined heat and power
The use of combined heat and power (CHP) plants adds an extra layer of complexity for operators when assessing the condition of the plant. Knowledge of achievable electrical outputs—minimum and maximum—during heat-driven operation, the assessment of heat production costs, an understanding of efficiency at the current operating point, and the proportion of CHP-relevant electricity from plant generation are, on the one hand, highly relevant but, on the other hand, not trivial to obtain. Using a physical digital twin and modern methods such as data validation according to VDI 2048, the current condition can be reliably recorded, and the operating window (PQ) can be reliably identified for plant operation under specified environmental and thermal boundary conditions. This allows for the avoidance of costly balancing energy and the full utilization of existing potential.
District heating networks
The operation of district heating networks is changing due to decentralized heat sources and the phasing out of large supply units. Regulatory requirements are driving a massive shift toward a significant share of renewable energy. The ability to identify bottlenecks in dynamic calculations during network planning and to continuously optimize network operations under these changing conditions is crucial for supply security and the efficiency of network operations. In all these cases, reliable digital twins are an essential component of the solution—whether in the simulation of networks and relevant scenarios or in model-predictive control during continuous operation.
