Design of a 5th Generation District Heating Substation Prototype for a Real Case Study

Gianni Martinazzoli (), Daniele Pasinelli, Adriano Maria Lezzi and Mariagrazia Pilotelli
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Gianni Martinazzoli: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Daniele Pasinelli: A2A Calore & Servizi S.r.l., 25124 Brescia, Italy
Adriano Maria Lezzi: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Mariagrazia Pilotelli: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, 25123 Brescia, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: The evolution of district heating networks is moving toward low temperatures in heat distribution with so called 4th generation networks. However, the lowest heat transfer fluid temperatures in district heating are achieved through ultra-low temperature networks, referred to as 5th generation district heating networks (5GDHNs). Low temperatures in heat distribution results in an extremely different configuration of 5GDHN compared to traditional district heating network, especially in the grid substation due to the inability to directly couple the grid with the buildings. This paper presents a detailed design of a 5th generation substation prototype, which is carried out to verify the proper operation and monitor the performance of this type of substation in a real case study. The prototype is fed by low-temperature waste heat, currently dissipated through evaporative towers, and will be built in the city of Brescia, Italy. The layout of the substation prototype, consisting of a bidirectional pumping system, a reversible water-to-water heat pump, an inertial thermal energy storage and a heat exchanger, is presented. An analysis is performed to figure out which refrigerant offers the best performance of the heat pump. In addition, fixed the refrigerant, the performance of the grid connected heat pump is found to be increased from 29.5% to 55.5% for both heating and cooling compared with a stand-alone air-to-water heat pump solution. Finally, the process flow diagram and the piping and instrumentation diagram of the substation are presented and commented.

Keywords: 5th generation district heating network; ultra-low temperature district heating and cooling; bidirectional district heating substation; heat pump; smart thermal grid; active prosumer; waste heat recovery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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