Constructing heating networks from GIS data: A framework for editing and converting line topologies into calculable grids

Abstract:
Transitions of energy supply systems in the heating sector often encompass the planning and construction or re-fitting of heating networks. One legal background for reporting regions favoured for heat supply by networks is given by the municipal heat planning in Germany. In the present work, a Python library is presented which integrates three main functionalities for (i) finding suitable routings for heating networks, (ii) planning potential extensions of networks and (iii) converting topologies into calculable network models and dimensioning pipe diameters. The first functionality focusses on the metric of line density of street segments. An altered depth-first-search (DFS) algorithm outputs coherent network topologies meeting user-defined rules for average line densities. The particularity of this algorithm is the possibility to skip intermediate segments with low line density and look ahead up to three segments in search of yet other profitable segments. The second functionality is a breadth-first-search (BFS) algorithm to determine the possible span of a network based on available annual thermal yield and thermal power of production sites. An innovation is the dynamic adaption of simultaneity factors for the demanded power and of thermal losses in the network with growing network size. The third functionality is the conversion of geo-referenced line objects into calculable heating networks in the open-source software pandapipes. An automatic dimensioning of pipe diameters and cascaded control strategies for heat suppliers are incorporated. All three functionalities are exemplified for a real planning application in a municipality in Hessen.