Review on District Cooling and Its Application in Energy Systems

Abstract

This chapter investigates the implementation of district cooling systems by exploring several research studies reported in the literature. The topics addressed include typologies and design parameters, benefits and limitations, applications of the system, and the technology readiness level. District cooling systems are generally regarded as cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solutions. One might think that district cooling is only a solution for areas with a very warm climate. However, based on the reported results of the surveyed studies, the number of operating district cooling systems has increased over the years, with the Scandinavian countries taking the lead in this market within European countries. Implementation of these systems concluded reduction in primary energy and electricity use, they also proved to be an environmentally efficient way.

Comparison of Space Cooling Systems from Energy and Economic Perspectives for a Future City District in Sweden

“…The local energy provider in the studied city, Gävle Energi AB [65], utilizes free cooling from a river and it is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the central compression chillers of the DC system. In this system, water in the network is cooled with the help of the river and if the temperature of the cold source (the river) is higher than 6 • C, two central compression chillers are utilized [66]. In the new district, heat for both space and domestic hot water is obtained from DH; therefore, laying the cooling pipes along with heating pipes at the construction stage of the district is easier and inexpensive.…”

“…In this regard, compression chillers provide higher adaptive capacity compared to absorption chillers [51]. On the other hand, the DC system also possesses the ability to be incorporated with single or multiple cooling technologies in the central plant apart from the free cooling or other environmentally sustainable methods that can act as a heat sink or cold source [66,100] which helps increase the adaptive capacity. It is noteworthy to mention that if an increase in the cooling power is required, the whole unit for the in-house technologies must be changed; however, for the DC system, it is mostly sufficient to change the heat exchanger.…”

A Review on Green Cooling: Exploring the Benefits of Sustainable Energy-Powered District Cooling with Thermal Energy Storage

“…Therefore, in a bid to enhance the efficiency of DCSs in cooling technology, the incorporation of a TES tank with a chiller system and renewable energy integration were introduced. This allows for increased operational flexibility and enhances the optimization of the technology [33,34]. In this work, various renewable energy integration methods as well as the incorporation of TES with VCCs into DCS are discussed in Sections 3, 3.1-3.5, 4, 4.1 and 4.2, respectively.…”

“…Biomass is a type of renewable derived from organic materials (plant or animal) that produce energy after burning. For instance, biomass is sourced from forest-based, agriculture biomass, and waste-based feedstocks [33][34][35][36][37]. During photosynthesis, solar energy is stored in biomass.…”