References

Real-world projects planned and sized with VICUS Districts.

District heating network Schüttorf

District heating network Schüttorf

Customer
Stadtwerke Schüttorf Emsbüren GmbH
Planner
Jaske & Wolf Verfahrenstechnik GmbH
Network simulation
VICUS Engineering
approx. 300
Customers
ca. 10 MW
Connected load
11 km
Network length

Challenge

The district heating network in Schüttorf is currently in planning. The plan is to supply the town with waste heat. A central heat pump is to feed in at a medium temperature level between 20 °C and 50 °C. Buildings are equipped with both decentralised heat pumps and transfer stations to allow maximum flexibility for future expansion. Due to the plant design, small temperature spreads must be maintained, while the space available for pipe dimensions is limited.

Solution with VICUS Districts

For this project, VICUS Districts was extended to connect hydraulically separated networks via supply-only or return-only extraction. This significantly increases the spread in the network and thereby reduces volume flows and the associated pressure losses. In addition, the heat losses of insulated and uninsulated pipes could be calculated.

Cold district heating network Bad Nauheim Süd

Cold district heating network Bad Nauheim Süd

Customer
Stadtwerke Bad Nauheim
Research project
KNW-Opt
approx. 180
Customers
ca. 1 MW
Connected load
6,5 km
Network length

Challenge

The cold district heating network supplies decentralised heat pumps in a new residential area of 180 multi-family and single-family houses. The heat source is mainly a horizontal ground heat exchanger; the remainder comes from ground heat gains around the uninsulated network pipes. The challenge was to achieve an optimal efficiency of the overall system.

Solution with VICUS Districts

In the research project, both the ground model and the pump model in VICUS Districts were successfully validated against measurement data. The study also showed that the operation of the circulation pumps has a decisive influence on the overall efficiency of the network. A worst-point control can save approx. 50 % of the pump electricity and considerably improve the overall seasonal performance factor. Changing the pump head was identified as an easy-to-implement measure; the saving potential was 20 % of the total electricity consumption of circulation pumps and heat pumps.

District heating network “Historische Mitte” Echterdingen

District heating network “Historische Mitte” Echterdingen

Customer
Stadtwerke Leinfelden-Echterdingen
Planner
goodmen energy GmbH
3 MW
Connected load
4 km
Network length

Challenge

Multi-source system for the historic old town, 4 kilometres long, approx. 60 residential and 30 non-residential buildings. Building within historic existing structures and infrastructure that was only partially documented.

Solution with VICUS Districts

With VICUS Districts, goodmen energy was able to plan the network precisely in terms of elevation and thus avoid collisions with existing lines and pipes. The operating states of the network were successfully simulated with the software. VICUS Districts was also used to develop an innovative network pump system.

„One of the biggest challenges for municipal utilities in the coming years is the retroactive digitisation of existing pipe systems. VICUS Districts is a super tool for that!“

Andreas Kaiser, goodmen energy

District heating network “Energiepark Regensburg Süd-Ost”

Customer
REWAG AG & Co KG, Bayernwerk Natur GmbH
Planner
goodmen energy GmbH
8 km
Network length

Challenge

A district heating network with 8 km of pipe length and network temperatures of 85 °C supply and 60 °C return. One challenge was the large temperature differences between the source, a wastewater treatment plant (+8 °C), and the consumer with the highest temperature (+130 °C), who is also located furthest from the source. Consumer density is low. Optimising network losses was therefore essential in order to transport high capacities over long distances.

Solution with VICUS Districts

With VICUS Districts, heat losses from the warm network to the ground and the required pumping energy could be determined precisely. The software also calculated relevant network parameters from the demand structure in order to comply with a specified pressure loss at the design point. In addition, VICUS Districts determined the diameter of every pipe section and generated a list of all required components.

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