Integrating a Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage FMU in a MATLAB/Simscape Thermal Source Network Model

Abstract

The integration of Functional Mock-up Units (FMUs) enableseffective multi-domain co-simulation and model exchange,offering new possibilities for energy systems modellingconsidering thermo-hydraulic aspects. This paper presents acase study on incorporating an FMU of a seasonal thermalenergy storage (sTES), developed in Modelica/Dymola, into aMATLAB/Simscape model of a thermal source network (TSN).While traditional thermo-hydraulic models are typicallyconfined to a single simulation environment, this studydemonstrates the feasibility and advantages of FMU-basedinteroperability between Modelica/Dymola andMATLAB/Simscape.A key focus is the methodological approach for integratingFMUs into Simscape, addressing interface requirements,solver settings, and model coupling challenges. Toillustrate the impact of FMU integration, the authorspresent simulation results for exemplary operationscenarios: TSN operation with and without an sTES.Additionally, our simulation results offer valuableinsights into the influence of sTES on TSN operation andsystem layout.