Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU) has developed a program to select the parameters of technological innovation and improve the efficiency of mini-CHP plants. The proposed solution will reduce the energy intensity of municipal energy in small and medium-sized cities.
A multi-energy infrastructure is a system that combines various energy sources (traditional and renewable) to ensure the reliability, cost-effectiveness and flexibility of energy supply. It includes technological innovations, which include heat pumps, electric boilers and boilers, and heat storage systems. The integration of various sources is aimed at creating a reliable and economical energy supply system, which is especially important for small and medium-sized cities (MSGS), explains Elizaveta Nasibova, an assistant at the Department of Automated Electric Power Systems at NSTU-NETI.
She notes that the existing problem of high energy intensity in energy production in small and medium-sized cities is caused by the separate production of heat and electricity and the degree of deterioration of infrastructure. The staff of the Department of Automated Electric Power Systems at NSTU-NETI is actively working to solve the issue of reducing the energy intensity of municipal energy in MSG. One of the ways to reduce energy intensity is to switch to joint energy production during the technical re-equipment and reconstruction of boiler houses into a communal mini-CHP with gas piston units (GPUs) and gas boilers.
Scientists have already created software packages designed to select the structure of a mini-CHP plant as the main energy source in MSG. The developed program is a logical continuation and makes it possible to select the composition and characteristics of the equipment to increase the efficiency of the mini-CHP.
"We set out to find a way to increase the share of thermal energy based on cogeneration. And as a solution, they proposed the creation of a multi-energy infrastructure, which includes a mini-CHP plant as a basic element of the system, gas and electric boilers, heat pumps and heat energy storage systems. The software package allows you to determine the optimal number and types of energy sources, calculate the capacity of technological innovations, and see how fuel costs and the structure of electric and thermal energy balances will change when choosing a certain equipment composition," said Elizaveta Nasibova.
The following data is loaded into the program: available electrical power and thermal power of gas piston units (GPUs), available thermal power of gas boilers, data on the annual demand schedule, typical daily load schedules. Based on calculations, the program provides options for equipment composition, operating modes, and technological innovation parameters for specific conditions so that mini-CHP plants produce maximum energy with minimal specific fuel consumption.
The composition of the multi-energy infrastructure can be different: for example, mini-CHP + electric boiler + heat storage; mini-CHP + heat storage; mini-CHP + heat pump + heat storage.
Heat pumps and electric boilers make it possible to increase the use of GPU and reduce the volume of heat production on gas boilers. Instead of reducing the load of the GPU when electricity consumption drops, excess energy can be redirected to a heat pump or an electric boiler to get additional cheap heat. The thermal energy storage system smooths out consumption peaks by storing heat when demand is low and releasing it when it is high.
The program "Selection of the composition of an autonomous multi-energy infrastructure" is included in the register of computer program certificates, which confirms its scientific and practical significance for the design of modern municipal energy supply systems. The software can be used in the development of heat supply schemes for municipalities in the process of managing the development of a certain territory.
Earlier, scientists at NSTU-NETI proposed a way to increase the reliability and efficiency of energy supply in small and medium-sized cities, as well as an approach to improving the economic and technical accessibility and uninterrupted power supply in MSG. The work was carried out with the support of the Russian Science Foundation.