Proceedings of the International Renewable Energy Storage Conference 2021 (IRES 2021)

The Challenge of Planning and Constructing Large-Scale Hot Water TES for District Heating System: A Techno-Economic Analysis

Authors
Alice Tosatto1, *, Fabian Ochs1, Abdulrahman Dahash1, 2, Christoph Muser3
1Unit of Energy Efficient Buildings, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
2Sustainable Thermal Energy Systems Center for Energy, AIT GmbH, Vienna, Austria
3Ingenieurbüro ste.p ZT GmbH, Vienna, Austria
Corresponding Author
Alice Tosatto
Available Online 3 March 2022.
DOI
10.2991/ahe.k.220301.006How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Buried TES; seasonal TES; techno-economic; numerical modelling; shallow pit; tank
Abstract

In an international context (e.g. Germany, Denmark), the integration of long-term thermal energy storage (TES) into block heating systems already exists. Yet, the so-called pit TES cannot be easily applied to central European district heating (DH) systems because of the varying heat demand, temperature level, TES size and geometry a ground conditions (e.g. presence of groundwater), etc. Thus, within the framework of the Austrian Flagship project Giga_TES (FFG), very large-scale underground TES are developed and optimized by means of simulations. The aim is to provide solutions that enable a significant reduction of fossil fuels that traditionally are needed in DH systems. This can be achieved through an optimized design of a multifunctional TES allowing short-term as well as long-term heat storage with appropriate dimensioning and optimal planning of solar thermal, waste heat use and heat pumps for a specific location and system.

The envisioned size of new giga-scale storage technologies and the construction in the subsurface require new construction methods. Experiences show that improvements are needed on material performance and durability and on materials and component development. Cost effectiveness and system integration call for higher storage density and thus, higher temperatures, imposing even higher demands on the materials used. This together with the requirements of vapour tightness, serviceability and durability of innovative solutions for cover, wall and bottom with respect to liners and insulation call for novel materials and construction methods. Hence, numerical models are developed to optimize the thermal, structural, system integration and economic performance of materials, components and system.

This contribution highlights the challenges of constructing cost efficient giga-scale TES. Different construction methods for tank and pit TES are compared with respect to their investment costs. The thermal performance of the different TES is compared by means of numerical simulations for a set of boundary conditions.

Copyright
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Download article (PDF)

Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Renewable Energy Storage Conference 2021 (IRES 2021)
Series
Atlantis Highlights in Engineering
Publication Date
3 March 2022
ISBN
10.2991/ahe.k.220301.006
ISSN
2589-4943
DOI
10.2991/ahe.k.220301.006How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

Cite this article

TY  - CONF
AU  - Alice Tosatto
AU  - Fabian Ochs
AU  - Abdulrahman Dahash
AU  - Christoph Muser
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/03/03
TI  - The Challenge of Planning and Constructing Large-Scale Hot Water TES for District Heating System: A Techno-Economic Analysis
BT  - Proceedings of the International Renewable Energy Storage Conference 2021 (IRES 2021)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 52
EP  - 66
SN  - 2589-4943
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/ahe.k.220301.006
DO  - 10.2991/ahe.k.220301.006
ID  - Tosatto2022
ER  -