Cold district heating and district planning
District heating Meitingen
Optimized with SiMon from the planning stageIndustrial waste heat, decentralized heat pumps and photovoltaics supply a new residential district. SiMon considers thermal and electrical dependencies from network design through ongoing operation.
The starting point
Make industrial waste heat available to a new residential district
In Meitingen, a new development with around 300 residential units was to be supplied through a cold district heating network using waste heat from neighboring large-scale industry. Cooling water used in high-temperature processes reaches around 30 °C. Decentralized heat pumps raise this temperature in each building as required, while photovoltaics support the electrical supply.
The challenge began long before operation: heat availability, network sizing, simultaneous loads, power generation and electrical limits had to be considered together during planning.
The system scope
Heat source, distribution network and electricity supply connected
Industrial cooling water · approx. 30 °C
approx. 1.1 km cold network
Decentralized heat pumps
Buildings
99 kWp photovoltaics
SiMon connects thermal distribution and electricity supply in one shared model. Industrial cooling water, heat pumps, PV self-consumption, equipment and consumption data can therefore be managed as one coherent district system. According to THI, the 99 kWp photovoltaic system can cover about one third of the electricity demand from renewable generation.
According to ratiotherm, around 40 m³ of cooling water per hour is fed into the district heating network. This can provide up to 1.5 million kWh of energy per year. After heat extraction, the cooled water returns to the plant and is reused for cooling.
The implementation
Optimize before sizing – use operational knowledge before construction
Model energy flows together
Thermal demand, electrical loads, available waste heat and PV generation were combined from the concept phase onward.
Consider diversity
SiMon showed which capacities would actually be required simultaneously in the distribution network.
Design a leaner network
Based on the optimization, pipe diameters could be reduced significantly compared with a purely static design.
Transfer the planning model into operation
Load management, equipment control, consumption recording and fault management continue to use the same holistic view.
The SiMon solution
Manage thermal and electrical constraints simultaneously
Load management
Identify limits early and coordinate loads
SiMon considers thermal capacities and electrical limits together instead of sizing and operating both infrastructures separately.
Grid flexibility
Operate heat pumps flexibly with buffer storage
Small buffer storage units decouple heat generation and demand over time. SiMon can therefore adapt heat-pump operation to electrical limits and the availability of renewable electricity.
Operations
Manage equipment, consumption and faults centrally
Technical states and consumption data are available in a common platform for operation, evaluation and fault management.
Results and customer value
More economical planning with a robust basis for operation
Lower infrastructure costs
Considering actual diversity enabled significantly smaller pipe diameters and therefore a technically leaner network design.
Waste heat put to good use
The warmed industrial cooling water becomes a local heat source for the residential district. It then returns cooled to the industrial cooling circuit.
Planning and operation connected
The holistic view developed during the concept phase also forms the basis for load management and transparent operation.
Meitingen demonstrates that digital district optimization can deliver its greatest leverage when it begins before construction and provides an early, robust basis for technical decisions.
Technical context
Documented as a pioneering and KUMAS flagship project
KUMAS described the low-temperature network as a flagship project. Ingolstadt Technical University placed Meitingen in the context of fifth-generation cold district heating networks, while project partners document the use of industrial waste heat and the supply concept.