District Heating Control Using Building Pre-Heating for Peak Demand
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Solution Overview
Problem
Peak demand for comfort heating poses challenges as fast-acting heating systems are often more expensive and environmentally harmful, and existing methods struggle to efficiently manage heat distribution, leading to potential disruptions and inefficiencies in heat access across a district thermal energy distribution grid.
Innovation Solution
A method that predicts demand peaks using environmental and behavioral data to pre-heat buildings, utilizing thermal inertia to reduce reliance on expensive or environmentally harmful production facilities, and employs time-resolved control signals to manage heat distribution, ensuring uninterrupted access to heat by optimizing production plant usage and distributing available capacity effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If fast-acting heating systems are used to handle peak demand, then heating response speed is improved, but cost and environmental harm increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary heating actions before predicted peak demand periods by analyzing forecast data (weather, historical patterns, events). Buildings are pre-heated during off-peak hours when sustainable heating sources can operate efficiently, storing thermal energy in building structures. This eliminates the need to activate expensive and environmentally harmful fast-acting heating systems during peak demand.
2Reliability
If production plants operate at max capacity to compensate for demand peaks, then heating supply reliability is improved, but operational cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors actual heating demand, building thermal states, and weather conditions, comparing them against forecast data. Based on this feedback loop, the system dynamically adjusts heating production schedules and pre-heating strategies, ensuring reliable heating supply while optimizing plant operation levels to avoid unnecessary max-capacity operation and associated costs.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If thermal inertia is utilized for pre-heating, then expensive heating facilities usage is reduced, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes operational parameters by shifting heating load timing from peak to off-peak periods. It calculates optimal pre-heating durations and temperature offsets based on building thermal characteristics and forecasted demand, transforming the control strategy from reactive to proactive without requiring complex real-time control algorithms during peak periods.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach minimizes the need for expensive or environmentally harmful heating by pre-heating buildings before demand peaks, ensuring consistent heat distribution and reducing pressure on the district thermal energy distribution grid, thereby providing an uninterruptible and efficient heating solution.
Implementation Method 1
The buildings being heated before the determined time period may result in the storing of thermal energy in the structure of the building
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a heat distribution system. The method comprises: determining a time period of forecasted elevated overall outtake of heat from a district thermal energy distribution grid (110) by local heat distribution systems (150) connected to the district thermal energy distribution grid (110); determining, at a control server (130), a control signal associated with a respective one of a plurality of local control units (140), wherein each respective control signal is time resolved and comprises information pertaining to a temporary increase in heat outtake from the district thermal energy distribution grid (110) before the determined time period, and information pertaining to a temporary decrease in heat outtake from the district thermal energy distribution grid (110) during the determined time period; sending each respective control signal from the control server (130) to the respective local control unit (140); receiving the respective control signal at the respective local control unit (140); and regulating, at each respective local control unit (140) and based on the respective control signal, the outtake of heat by the respective local heat distribution system (150) from the district thermal energy distribution grid (110).