A user-friendly boiler model for dynamic simulations

Journal of Building Performance Simulation, pp. 1–19

Abstract

Boilers are essential in energy systems, serving as primary heat suppliers, peak load units, backups, or high-temperature sources. Dynamic simulation helps to analyze their future roles and control strategies. Various modelling approaches exist. Reducing user-effort, a model should combine off-design operation, scalability, and user-friendly parameterization. This paper focuses on these aspects. First, it defines model requirements and reviews literature for compliance. Then, a new quasi-static simplified physical model is introduced, using 1-D heat transfer to calculate efficiency describing boiler operation in general. The general operation is described in a characteristic chart that maps efficiency to four operating conditions. The model is validated with field- and manufacturer data. Finally, the efficiency chart is tested in a Modelica implementation and compared with other efficiency estimation models. As the dynamic model is able to describe boiler operation in general, it requires minimal boiler-specific knowledge, ensuring easy parameterization, off-design operation, and scalability.

Authors 4

1. Moritz Zuschlag corresponding Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

2. David Jansen Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

3. Rita Streblow Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University

4. Dirk Müller Aachen

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   RWTH Aachen University