TOP-Energy® 3.1 Tutorials

Simulate district heating supply

A simple system with a district heating supplier without tariff shows how the components are interconnected and the energy balances work.

Simple energy system with tariffs

The energy system with fuel and electricity tariffs shows how energy costs are calculated from energy demands.

Comparison of different fuels

Different energy supply variants are investigated by the simulation modules eVariant and eValuate.

Simulate time-dependent energy systems

Time-dependent heat and electricity demands and country-specific electricity and gas tariffs cause time-dependent results.

Simulate systems with storage

The project from tutorial 04 is continued to test the cost effectiveness of a thermal storage system.

CHP contracting with stakeholders

With the help of stakeholders, different contracting options―a heat-only contracting, an electricity-heat-contracting, and a CHP-leasing option―are explored.

Simple cooling supply with CRS

The simple cooling supply is based on a simple recooler with a power-dependent current consumption.

Combined heat, power and cooling

In this tutorial, the project from tutorial 12 is further developed into variants with boilers, CHP, and cogeneration.

Use of waste heat from CRS

Electricity, cooling, and heating demands are covered in a coupled manner using a heat pump and a cold storage tank.

Operating principle of the cooling towers

The behavior of the dry, wet, and hybrid cooling tower components is demonstrated in three cases.

Photovoltaic system

The electricity demands of a commercial enterprise are covered by an electricity supplier and a photovoltaic system.

Wind turbine

Simply meeting a demand for electricity is compared to using two wind turbines.

Solar thermal energy

A district heating supplier and a solar thermal system cover a heat demand.

Storage for peak load management

A photovoltaic system supports the coverage of an electricity demand and feeds surplus electricity into the grid and an electricity storage system.

Off grid system with diesel PV hybrid solution

A local power supply system with diesel generator, photovoltaic system, and power storage is operated independently of the power grid.

Autarkic energy system with power-to-gas

70 single-family homes achieve independence from the power grid through a power-to-gas and a wind turbine, a fuel storage system, a gas turbine, and a fuel cell.

Fleet of electric vehicles

An industrial site's fleet of electric utility vehicles uses an intelligent charging strategy and serves as a buffer for the grid. It takes advantage of the variable electricity price.

Comparison of combustion engine and electric vehicle

The supply of heat and electricity to a residential building in connection with a vehicle with an internal combustion engine is compared with that in connection with an electric vehicle.

Simple steam demand

The use of the steam lines and the State Determination component are demonstrated using a steam generator to meet a specified steam demand.

Steam demand on two pressure stages

Steam generation meets process steam demands at two different pressure levels, 16 and 8 bar.

Clausius Rankine cycle

The four state changes during power generation with the Clausius-Rankine cycle are illustrated: adiabatic expansion and compression, isobaric condensation and heat addition.

Two stage steam power generation

Two two-stage steam power processes are compared. In one variant, the feedwater of the steam generator is preheated by heat recovery from the exhaust gas.

Combined heat and power cycle

An electricity demand is met by a combined gas and steam turbine power process.

Compressed air supply

The compressed air demand is covered by an idle-controlled air compressor.

Compressed air supply with heat recovery

Extending tutorial 40, the viability of a compressor with heat recovery to meet a heat demand is investigated.

High and low temperature network

The function of heat exchangers and a heat pump with an external heat source is demonstrated using different heat networks.

Exhaust Gas Heat Recovery

The potential of an exhaust gas heat recovery system for a gas boiler for heat generation is analyzed.

Heating register

The coverage of a steam and a hot water demand by a gas-fired steam generator is compared to that by a CHP.

Heat and electricity controlled vs. operational optimization

Different modes of operation of a CHP unit, including heat-controlled and electricity-controlled, are compared.

Operating restrictions

To restrict the operation of a CHP due to various conditions, the operational side conditions are used.

Series connection to increase the temperature level

Low- and high-temperature heat generators are integrated into an energy system in series connection.

Compliance with temperature specifications for parallel connection

An energy system with two or more heat generators connected in parallel with different flow temperatures must not fall below a certain mixing temperature.

Variable electricity price

A sensitivity analysis examines how changes in the EEG levy affect the payback period and net present value.

Variation inclination angle photovoltaic

The dependence of the payback period, net present value, and electric power supplied by the PV system on the tilt angle of the PV system is investigated.

Optimal CHP size

To determine the optimal CHP size, a sensitivity analysis examines how the nominal output values of a CHP unit affect the payback period, net present value, internal rate of return, and cash flow.

Structural optimization - Combined heat, power, and cooling

A multi-criteria structural optimization determines the optimal size of a CHP unit and an absorption chiller in the context of a combined heat, power, and cooling system.

Key figures

Energy systems are analyzed with the key figures CO2 factor, primary energy factor, specific generation costs, self-sufficiency and self-consumption rate.