IEA-ECES Annex 39: Large-scale water heat storage for district heating systems

Project leader overall project: AEE INTEC (AEE - INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES)

Project leader University of Innsbruck: Fabian Ochs (UIBK Energy Efficient Building)

Project staff: Abdulrahman Dahash, Alice Tosatto

Project partner:

  • AEE INTEC (AEE - INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES) (Austria)
  • AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH (Austria)
  • SOLID Solar Energy Systems GmbH (Austria)
  • Ramboll (Germany)
  • Steinbeis Innovation Centre (Germany)
  • Solmax (Germany)
  • PlanEnergi (Denmark)
  • Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
  • Ramboll (Denmark)
  • CREAR (Italy)
  • Ecovat (Netherlands)
  • newHeat (France)
  • Chalmers University (Sweden)

Funding organisation: (FFG, energy research, flagship)

Duration: 01.11.2020 - 31.12.2023

Project website: https://iea-eces.org/annex-39/

Summary:

Large thermal energy storage systems will play a central role in the future to increase the necessary flexibility of district heating networks and to enable the further expansion of renewable sources and the integration of waste heat into these systems. Current knowledge of large thermal energy storage systems is limited to a small number of countries and projects. The necessary broad roll-out of this technology is only possible if cooperative adaptations and further developments are made on the basis of existing knowledge and experience and extended to a large number of countries and experts in order to overcome the technological and non-technological challenges in the design, realisation and operation of this technology. For this reason, after a one-year definition phase, the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme "Energy Conservation through Energy Storage" (ECES) has decided to launch the new Annex "Large Thermal Energy Storages for District Heating" (Annex 39).
The main objectives and expected results of the Annex are the definition of representative application scenarios, the associated boundary conditions and the most important performance indicators; the definition of dedicated storage concepts for selected application scenarios and the techno-economic evaluation of these concepts; the development, improvement and implementation of new material test methods and the compilation of a database of materials suitable for use in large thermal energy storage systems; the inventory and comparison of the performance of numerical simulation models and recommendations for the simulation of large thermal energy storage systems; and the creation of dedicated information material for relevant stakeholder groups (decision-makers from energy suppliers and heat network operators, interest groups, cities and municipalities, etc.) and active, targeted dissemination. ) and the active, targeted dissemination of this information.
Due to existing synergies with regard to application scenarios, integration into district heating systems and numerical simulation, the Annex not only looks at large thermal water storage systems, such as tank and mine heat storage systems (TTES and PTES), but in some cases also at large thermal energy storage systems with other storage media, such as aquifer and borehole heat storage systems (ATES and BTES).
Austria plays an important role in this co-operation of at least 10 countries. In addition to managing Annex 39 as the operating agent, the participating Austrian institutes also contribute valuable knowledge and experience from completed and ongoing projects. In particular, the current Austrian flagship project "giga_TES" (18 partners, 12 of which are industrial partners) provides important contributions to Austrian participation and key knowledge about the needs of Austrian industry in this area.
In addition to expanding Austrian research expertise, the declared aim of the project is to intensify cooperation with the partners involved in the international consortium. At the same time, the project results of Annex 39 and the resulting networks are to be transferred to the Austrian industries active in this field in order to further improve their international market position. In addition, dedicated results of the Annex will be communicated to relevant national stakeholder groups in order to optimise the implementation of this technology in Austria.

Expected results of Annex 39:

  • Definition of a series of representative application scenarios, the associated boundary conditions and key performance indicators
  • Improvement of LTES materials and methods for measuring material performance
  • Development of guidelines for achieving the right water quality
  • Comparing the performance and accuracy of simulation models for LTES
  • Derive validation tests for LTES simulation models
  • Generating information packages for decision makers and actively disseminating the information

Focus on the University of Innsbruck:

Based on the experience gained, the UIBK plays a role as a consulting partner in the development of reliable numerical models at both levels (system and component). It also carries out several simulations for the calibration and optimisation of specific case studies.

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