Research database

Currently most of the European district heating networks, especially in the largest cities, are still 2nd generation, supplied with temperature>100°C. To meet long-term decarbonization targets require rapid pathways to transform existing networks into low-temperature systems in a cost-effective manner. The overarching aim of the project is to provide routes for the transition of existing networks into low-carbon energy systems through reduction of supply temperature. The main novelty of the proposal respect to the existing researches is to tackle, with proper tools, the crucial barriers to the supply temperature reduction. The first barrier concerns the significant increase of mass flow rates circulating in the network, since existing pipelines usually does not support mass flow significantly larger. This problem also affects the building circuit in case its supply temperature is varied. A second problem concerns the possible modification of temperature in the building circuit as effect of changes in the network and/or in the building demand. The project proposes solutions to these crucial issues (relying on validated models) that will be tested on existing networks currently affected by these problems.