Optimization of steam power systems in industrial parks considering the distributed heat supply and auxiliary steam turbines

In the steam power system for the centralized heat supply in an industrial park, heat demands of all consumers are satisfied by the energy station, leading to the high steam delivery costs caused by the several distant enterprises. Additionally, the number of steam levels is limited due to the trade-off between distance-related costs and heat cascaded utilization, thus some consumers are supplied with heat at higher temperature than that of required, resulting in the low energy efficiency. To deal with the above problems, this work proposes an optimization model for steam power systems (SPSs) in industrial parks, which incorporates the distributed heat supply and auxiliary steam turbines (ASTs). Field erected boilers (FEBs) can independently supply heat to consumers, thereby avoiding the excessive pipeline costs. ASTs are used for the re-depressurization of steam received by consumers, which can increase the electricity generation capacity and improve the temperature matching of heat supply and demand. A mathematical model is established for the problem, in which the influence of different numbers of steam levels is considered, and the SPSs are optimized by the objective function of minimizing the total annual cost (TAC). A case study illustrates that the optimal number of steam levels, and the selective installation of FEBs and ASTs for consumers, can effectively reduce the cost of pipeline network, increase the income of electricity generation, and minimize the TAC of the system.