Candidate: Muhammad Abuelhamd Mahmoud Muhammad
Date: November 7, 2024
Time: 1:30 PM
Location: EIT 3142
Supervisor: Canizares, Claudio
Abstract:
Some of the main challenges with more efficient and cleaner energy systems include the development of Integrated Electricity and Heating Systems (IEHSs). Thus, the proposed research explores IEHSs in the context of Microgrids (MGs) and Bulk Power System (BPS), including the integration in the latter of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to provide both electricity and heat. In this context, the main goal is to study dynamics and control of IEHSs, with an emphasis on District Heating Networks (DHNs) for efficient energy use. Hence, the proposed work aims to support a cleaner energy transition in both remote communities and urban areas through the use of IEHSs, focusing on two key objectives, namely, developing a comprehensive dynamic models of a combined DHN and Electric Power Network (EPN) to study energy exchanges between these systems, and the provision of ancillary services for power grids, including both BPSs and MGs.
A dynamic DHN and EPN model is first developed for MGs, considering soil limitations, extreme low temperatures, and piping insulation to minimize heat loss. The accurate sizing of the Heat Pumps (HPs) based on thermal load requirements, weather conditions, and consumer profiles is discussed, proposing a demand management control to enhance MG primary frequency regulation, which facilitates the integration of variable Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) in power grids. The presented dynamic models are applied, tested, and validated in a realistic community MG based on a remote community EPN located at Kasabonika Lake First Nation (KLFN) in Northern Ontario. It is shown that the DHN facilitates the proper integration of RESs in isolated MGs through the development of novel EPN control systems.
The proposed research also seeks to study IEHSs to serve a broader geographical region beyond MGs. Thus, it proposes to investigate the impacts of IEHSs on the dynamic operation of the BPS in collaboration with Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), using SMRs as the primary source for both electricity and thermal energy demand. The incorporation of a DHN in conjunction with SMRs should help stabilizing reactor operation by boosting reactor efficiency and reliability, thus enabling combined heat and power generation and the provision of ancillary services, which collectively would increase the overall performance and efficiency of the BPS.