Achieving low return temperature for domestic hot water preparation by ultra-low-temperature district heating

District heating (DH) is a cost-effective method of heat supply, especially to area with high heat density. Ultra-low-temperature district heating (ULTDH) is defined with supply temperature at 35-45 degrees C. It aims at making utmost use of the available low-temperature energy sources. In order to achieve high efficiency of the ULTDH system, the return temperature should be as low as possible.

For the energy-efficient buildings in the future, it is feasible to use ULTDH to cover the space heating demand. However, considering the comfort and hygiene requirements of domestic hot water (DHW) preparation, supplementary heating devices should be combined, which can affect the return temperature in different extents.

This study analysed the return temperatures of different types of substations for DHW preparation with ULTDH, and developed improvements in the substation for better energy efficiency. Both the instantaneous and storage-type electric heating methods were Long-term measured as supplementary heating for ULTDH in the case substations in Denmark.

We analysed the seasonal impacts of the return temperature from the DHW loop on the overall return temperature of district heating. To achieve lower return temperature and higher efficiency for DHW supply, an innovative substation was devised, which replaced the bypass with an instantaneous heat exchanger and a micro electric storage tank.

The energy performance of the proposed substation and the resulting benefits for the DH system by the lower return temperature were investigated (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.