STUDYING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROCESSES OF DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEMS CONSIDERING WASTE ENERGY RECOVERY

Abstract

District energy systems offer several key advantages compared to separated systems, such as energy efficiency and system reliability. Most district energy systems are still driven by fossil fuels, which does not conform to the contemporary low carbon requirement. Liquified natural gas (LNG) cold energy which is one of important waste energy sources can be integrated to enhance the sustainability of district energy systems. Nevertheless, LNG regasification rate usually fluctuates during the seasonal or hourly periods, which leads to energy mismatch and low overall recovery rate issues. Moreover, most studies about system optimization focus on configurations and design parameters. Operation management, which is also a key aspect to achieving efficient processes for district energy systems, has seldom been investigated. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to address these issues by developing cutting-edge district energy systems. Novel configurations are designed to improve the flexibility of LNG cold energy utilization. Advanced digital technologies, such as machine learning, intelligent optimization algorithm, and blockchain, are integrated to facilitate smart operation management.