The invention refers to a heating system (100) comprising a district cooling grid (1) and a local heating system (200) configured to heat a building and/or to heat tap water for the building. The heating system has a feed conduit (5) for an incoming flow of cooling fluid having a first temperature, and a return conduit (8) for a return flow of cooling fluid having a second temperature, the second temperature being higher than the first temperature. The local heating system (200) comprises a heat pump (10) having an inlet (10a) connected to the return conduit (8) of the district cooling grid (1) and an outlet (10b) connected to the feed conduit (5) of the district cooling grid (1).

A method and system that allows thermal energy to be supplied at different temperature levels to consumers, where each consumer is provided with its desired temperature whenever that is necessary. The method or a system for supplying consumers with heat energy or with cooling energy includes a set of three or more conduits for carrying a heat transfer fluid, each conduit carrying fluid at one of three or more different temperatures or temperature ranges, a plurality of heating and/or cooling consumer appliances distributed along the length of the conduits, each consumer appliance being linked to one of a plurality of pairs of conduits such that either: a consumer appliance is linked on a high temperature side, or a consumer appliance is linked on a low temperature side; a number of heat or cold generators, each pair of conduits being connected to at least one of the generators.

The disclosure relates to a method for controlling heat transfer between a local cooling system and a local heating system, the method comprising: determining a local energyconsumption need (LCC1, LCC2) of the local cooling system; determining a local energy consumption need (LHC1, LHC2) of the local heating system; controlling, based on the local energy consumption need (LCC1, LCC2) of the local cooling system and the local energy consumption need (LHC1, LHC2) of the local heating system, a heat pump (50, 50) connected between the local cooling system and the local heating system and configured to transfer heat from the local cooling system to the local heating system.

A method for controlling a local distribution system's outtake of heat or cold from a thermal energy distribution grid. The method includes determining a base steering temperature for the local distribution system's outtake of heat from the thermal energy distribution grid, receiving a control signal indicative of reducing the steering temperature for the local distribution system's outtake of heat from the thermal energy distribution grid; determining a reduced steering temperature for the local distribution system's outtake of heat from the thermal energy distribution grid based on the control signal and the base steering temperature; determining a return temperature of a heat transfer fluid in the return, and upon the determined reduced steering temperature being lower than the return temperature, determining a temporary steering temperature higher than the return temperature and lower than the base steering temperature; and controlling the local distribution system's heat outtake based on the temporary steering temperature.

The disclosure relates to a method for controlling a thermal distribution system. The method comprises producing heat at a production plant, and determining a capacity limit of the production plant. At a central server, the current and/or forecasted production of heat in the production plant in relation to the capacity limit of the production plant is evaluated. The method further comprises to in response to the current or forecasted production at the production plant approaching the capacity limit, output from the central server a respective control signal to one or more of a plurality of local control units, and receiving the control signal at the respective local control unit. The method further comprises to in response to receiving the control signal at the respective local control unit, reduce an associated local distribution system's outtake of heat or cold from a distribution grid connected to the production plant.

A local thermal energy consumer assembly and a local thermal energy generator assembly to be connected to a thermal energy circuit comprising a hot and a cold conduit. The local thermal energy consumer assembly is connected via a flow controller to the hot conduit. The local thermal energy generator assembly is connected via a flow controller to the cold conduit. The flow controller is selectively set in pumping mode or a flowing mode based on a local pressure difference between heat transfer liquid of the hot and cold conduits.

A zone controller works with a modulating unit comprising memory storing an instruction set and data related to thermostats, a plurality of duty cycles for a plurality of zones, a plurality of time periods for the plurality of zones, and a maximum zone load. A processor is operative to provide a modulating signal to the modulating unit based on the maximum zone load. The modulating signal determines operation of the modulating boiler and the maximum zone load based on the plurality of duty cycles, time periods, and data related to thermostats. The zone controller may be further operative to: calculate a first duty cycle for the first zone based on a first time period; calculate a second duty cycle for the second zone based on a second time period; and determine a maximum zone load, which is a greater of the first duty cycle and the second duty cycle.

A controller configured to selectively set a reversible heat pump assembly (100) in either a heating mode or in a cooling mode is presented. The controller comprising a control circuit (44) configured to: for a time period, determine, using a demand determining function (50), a heating demand for heat from one or more local heating circuits (140) connected to the reversible heat pump assembly (100) and a cooling demand for cold from one or more local cooling circuits (140) connected to the reversible heat pump assembly (100); generate, using a control function (52), a control signal indicative of if the reversible heat pump assembly (100) is to be set in either the heating mode or in the cooling mode, wherein the control function is configured to use the heating demand and the cooling demand as input data; and send, using a transmission function (54), the control signal to a heat pump (110) of the reversible heat pump assembly (100). Also a method for controlling the reversible heat pump assembly (100) is presented.

A district energy distributing system comprising a geothermal power plant comprising a first and a second circuit. The first circuit comprises a feed conduit for an incoming flow of geothermally heated water from a geothermal heat source; a boiler comprising a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat from the incoming flow of geothermally heated water to superheat a working medium of a second circuit of the geothermal power plant; and a return conduit for a return flow of cooled water from the boiler to the geothermal heat source. The second circuit comprises the boiler configured to superheat the working medium of the second circuit; an expander configured to allow the superheated working medium to expand and to transform the expansion to mechanical work; and a condenser configured to transform the expanded working medium to liquid phase and to heat a heat transfer fluid of a district thermal energy circuit.

[OBJECT] To provide an evaporator which can improve heat exchange performance.

[SOLVING MEANS] An evaporator including a metal wall and a porous metal film directly connected to the metal wall, wherein the porous metal film has communication holes having an average pore size of 8 m or less, and the porous metal film has a porosity of 50% or more.