A sensor layout optimization method for district heating network based on sensitivity analysis

Pipe impedance is a key parameter affecting the accuracy of hydraulic simulation models of the District Heating System (DHS). Using impedance identification methods to calibrate the hydraulic simulation model is a commonly used solution to improve the accuracy of simulation results. To further enhance the pipe impedance identification results, we propose a sensor layout optimization method for District Heating Network (DHN) based on sensitivity analysis. This method defines two concepts of relative influence degree of impedance on pipe flow and impedance on node pressure to describe the hydraulic characteristics of DHN, and then derives the calculation formula of relative influence matrices. Finally, sensitivity analysis is conducted on the relative influence matrices, and pipes and nodes with a larger sum of relative influence increments are selected as the installation locations of sensors to form an optimal sensor layout scheme. In case study, we apply the sensor layout optimization method to a DHS with a meshed network. Through numerical simulation, the performance of different sensor layout schemes on impedance identification results is evaluated. The research results show that, compared with not installing sensors on the DHN, the proposed sensor layout optimization method can improve the accuracy of impedance identification by 16.82%.