The use of substations with PCM heat accumulators in district heating system

Abstract

The main objective of the article is to indicate the directions of development of new generations of supplying buildings with heat, by using phase change materials, referring to the technical possibilities of applying available heat storage technologies. As a detailed objective of the work, the determination of the impact of using a PCM accumulator on the temperature of the heat carrier on the return in the substation of the district heating system was adopted. Range work included determination of parameters of heat distribution network as a function of outdoor air temperature range of -20°C to +12°C. As the analysis object, the heat substation has been selected with the following parameters: supply 80°C and return 60°C. It was found that thanks to the use of PCM accumulators on heat substations, it is possible to save energy by up to approx. 6.7% and achieve economic benefits in the form of a payback period of approx. 13 years. In addition, it was found that the introduction of the PCM accumulator into the heating system allows the return temperature in the heating network to be obtained at a temperature level consistent with the adopted control table for external temperatures of the standard heating season.