Comparing advanced exergetic assessments of two geothermal district heating systems for residential buildings

Advanced exergy analysis method has been increasingly utilized in analyzing and assessing the performance of energy-related systems in recent years due to more deeply investigating the exergy destructions. In this study, two various geothermal district heating systems (GDHSs), the Afyon and Bigadig GDHSs, which have been operated in Turkey, were considered to perform their advanced exergy analyses and assessments. The GDHSs studied were also compared with each other for the first time in terms of advanced exergetic aspects. In the analyses and calculations of the GDHS, the actual operational data obtained from the measurements and technical staff were utilized. The overall conventional and advanced exergetic efficiency values for the Afyon GDHS are determined to be 27.53% and 34.72% while those for the Bigadig GDHS are obtained to be 21.03% and 32.52%, respectively. Considering both the interactions among components and the potential for improving components, more effective and efficient improvement priorities were proposed. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.