Dynamic thermo-hydraulic model of district cooling networks

In the present paper, the dynamic thermo-hydraulic model ISENA is presented which can be applied for answering different questions occurring in design and operation of district cooling networks—e.g. related to economic and energy efficiency. The network model consists of a quasistatic hydraulic model and a transient thermal model based on tracking water segments through the whole network (Lagrangian method). Applying this approach, numerical errors and balance inaccuracies can be avoided which leads to a higher quality of results compared to other network models. Verification and validation calculations are presented in order to show that ISENA provides reliable results and is suitable for practical application.