Application of large underground seasonal thermal energy storage in district heating system: A model-based energy performance assessment of a pilot system in Chifeng, China: A model-based energy performance assessment of a pilot system in Chifeng, China

Luyi Xu, J. Ignacio Torrens, Fang Guo, Xudong Yang, Jan L.M. Hensen

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    56 Citations (Scopus)
    1 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    Seasonal thermal energy storage (STES) technology is a proven solution to resolve the seasonal discrepancy between heating energy generation from renewables and building heating demands. This research focuses on the performance assessment of district heating (DH) systems powered by low-grade energy sources with large-scale, high temperature underground STES technology. A pilot DH system, located in Chifeng, China that integrates a 0.5 million m3 borehole thermal energy storage system, an on-site solar thermal plant and excess heat from a copper plant is presented. The research in this paper adopts a model-based approach using Modelica to analyze the energy performance of the STES for two district heating system configurations. Several performance indicators such as the extraction heat, the injection heat and the storage coefficient are selected to assess the STES system performance. Results show that a lower STES discharge temperature leads to a better energy performance. A sensitivity analysis of the site properties illustrates that the thermal conductivity of soil is the most influential parameter on the STES system performance. The long-term performance of the STES is also discussed and a shorter stabilization time between one and two years could be achieved by discharging the STES at a lower temperature.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)319-328
    Number of pages10
    JournalApplied Thermal Engineering
    Volume137
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 5 Jun 2018

    Keywords

    • Building performance simulation
    • District heating
    • Industrial waste heat
    • Modelica
    • Seasonal thermal energy storage
    • Solar thermal collectors

    Project and Funding Information

    • Funding Info
    • This research is part of the seasonal storage for solar and industrial waste heat utilization for urban district heating project funded by the Joint Scientific Thematic Research Programme (JSTP)–Smart Energy in Smart Cities. We gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). We would also like to thank our research partners from Tsinghua University working on the project of the International S&T Cooperation Programof China (ISTCP) (project No. 2015DFG62410). Without their efforts, we would not have been able to obtain the technical data to conduct the case study.

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Application of large underground seasonal thermal energy storage in district heating system: A model-based energy performance assessment of a pilot system in Chifeng, China: A model-based energy performance assessment of a pilot system in Chifeng, China'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this