Modelon’s Thermal Power Library provides a comprehensive modeling, simulation, and optimization framework for thermal power plant operation, including district heating networks. Ideal for analyzing plant performance and limitations during transient scenarios, Modelon’s Thermal Power Library covers both new and traditional energy sources such as: concentrated solar power, gas, coal, and nuclear powers. The Thermal Power Library can also be used to verify safety requirements and control systems, needed to cope with rapid load changes brought on by increasing use of renewable energy resources. Modelon’s flexible modular template structure enables efficient and effective modeling at the appropriate fidelity level. With fast and numerically robust models available, users can efficiently simulate and optimize large scale systems. The Thermal Power Library is well suited for large to small enterprises seeking to perform multiple dynamic design behavior studies in the early stages of concept design. Coupling the Thermal Power Library with Modelon’s OPTIMICA Compiler Toolkit (a Modelica and FMI-based computational platform for systems design), users can utilize a python interface to solve challenging dynamic optimization problems, with use cases such as plant start-up scenarios or district heating production planning.

Benefits

• Accessible component models that provide versatile design and analysis
• Specifically used to model new and traditional energy sources
• Ingrained flexible structures for modelling new plant concepts, unique layouts, and evaluation of novel research concepts
• Ability to model start-up sequences, plant-wide control design, and emergency scenario simulation-controller tuning
• Numerically efficient and robust fluid models for fast simulation and dynamic optimization of large-scale systems
• Predefined templates used for rapid model development
• Dynamic and steady-state simulation in a single model – increasing efficiency and saving time

Application

The Thermal Power Library enables performance analysis and optimization of all types of thermal power plants. Specific applications include:

• Control system development and verification — Developing control strategies to cope with rapid load changes brought on by the increased use of renewable energy sources.
• Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) technology — Predicting the outcome of different design or operational options on your CCS plant economy and safety.
• District heating – Optimization based scheduling of production units in the network, ensuring customer heat demands are fulfilled while maximizing plant profits.
• Small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) — Meeting the demands of technically sophisticated assemblies, rigorous safety requirements, and large-scale design collaboration.
• Solar thermal power plants — Analyzing different thermal storage configurations and control strategies during transient conditions.
• Thermal power plants optimization — Integrating higher shares of renewable energy in the power market and maintaining the balance between demand and production