Model Predictive Control of Smart Districts with Fifth Generation Heating and Cooling Networks

Michael Taylor, Sebastian Long, Ognjen Marjanovic, Alessandra Parisio

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Abstract

Fifth Generation District Heating and Cooling (5GDHC) networks, in which low temperature water is distributed to water-source heat pumps (WSHPs) in order to meet thermal demands, are expected to have a significant impact on the decarbonisation of energy supply. Thermal storage installed in these networks offers operational flexibility that can be leveraged to integrate renewable electrical and thermal energy sources. Thus, when considered as part of a smart multi-energy district, 5GDHC substation devices (e.g. WSHPs, storage) may be optimally operated using Model Predictive Control (MPC) in order to match demand with low-cost supply of electricity. However, the application of MPC requires the ability to model 5GDHC networks within the context of a multi-energy system. Hence, this paper extends an existing, generalised control-oriented modelling framework for multi-energy systems to accommodate 5GDHC networks. Additions include the ability to represent hydraulic pumps, thermodynamic cycle devices (such as WSHPs) and multienergy networks within the framework. Furthermore, an economic MPC (eMPC) scheme is proposed for energy management of 5GDHC-based smart districts. Finally, a case study is presented in which the proposed eMPC controller is compared with rulebased control for economic operation of a smart district.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2659-2669
Number of pages11
JournalIEEE Transactions on Energy Conversion
Volume36
Issue number4
Early online date20 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2021

Keywords

  • Model predictive control
  • district heating and cooling
  • multi-energy systems
  • smart districts

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