An Experimental Platform of Heating Network Similarity Model for Test of Integrated Energy Systems

The heat-electric-integrated energy system (HE-IES) represents a prominent approach to achieving low-carbon energy supply, garnering considerable attention from both theoretical and practical perspectives. However, verifying the theoretical analysis of HE-IES is challenging due to the limited availability of operational data for practical heating system (HS). This difficulty, in turn, poses challenges for system monitoring, state estimation, and optimized operation. To tackle these issues, in this article, we establish an HS platform based on a similarity model and conduct a series of HE-IES verification experiments. First, we derive the HS-scale model based on the similarity theory. With this model, the operating condition of practical HS can be reproduced in an experimental platform (EP). Then, we introduce two distinct sets of EP parameter ratio factors and propose an experimental verification framework for evaluating practical HS operation strategies and assessing the accuracy of simulations. With the proposed model and framework, we establish a nine-pipe, 12.5-m HS-EP and conduct two experiments. In the first experiment, we scrutinized the HS operation strategy generated by mainstream HE-IES optimization algorithms. The results unveiled that, during the experiment, the EP exceeded its security limits for 2.87 h—a deviation unanticipated by theoretical analysis. In the second experiment, we meticulously evaluated the accuracy of the HE-IES simulation algorithm. Our findings reveal minimal temperature errors, with an average of 0.1864 and a maximum of 0.622, validating the precision of the simulation algorithm.