DekaHEAT

Objective
The aim of the project is to decarbonise existing district heating networks by integrating heat pumps and optimising the overall heat pump - heating network - consumer system.

Project content
District heating networks are a key technology for a successful energy and heating transition, especially for urban centres. For this to succeed, it is essential to decarbonise heat generation and replace fossil fuels in district heating with sustainable heat sources. With this in mind, the ‘DekaHEAT’ project is addressing three key tasks and developing a method for processing these tasks for existing district heating networks, implementing the results and thus achieving decarbonisation. Firstly, consumers are clustered according to their temperature requirements using databases, measurements and numerical models. Secondly, a possible reduction in the operating temperatures for (sub)grids is being investigated and thus the flow temperature optimised in order to reduce losses and at the same time set the course for the efficient use of decentralised heat pumps. To this end, hydraulic and thermodynamic simulation models are being developed as an image of real heating networks, which will be used to analyse temperature reduction. Finally, the third field is the investigation of radical combinations of heat pumps with district heating networks. Simulation models for various advanced heat pump technologies are also being developed in order to identify ideal combinations of heat pumps and heating networks and to optimise their economic efficiency and environmental impact. The particular advantage of the project lies in the holistic consideration of the three key elements.