OPTIMISATION OF DISTRICT HEATING SYSTEMS USING HEURISTIC METHODS: A REVIEW

This review article provides a briefly survey on the optimisation of DHSs using heuristic methods focused on the heat distribution network. For this purpose the major components of a DHS, as well as the main heuristic optimisation methods are briefly described. Additionally, a single- and multi-objective optimisation problem is generally formulated, and the main optimisation criteria for the design and operation of the distribution network are synthesised. The state-of-the-art in DHS optimisation has been also reviewed and categorised based on the type of approached problem and the type of used objective function. Finally, some recommendations on future developments were included.