Energy and exergy analysis of i̇nönü university central heating system

Energy transition, decarbonisation and sustainability are terms often used when referring to solutions which tackle climate change to reduce its negative impacts on human society. Fossil fuel consumption is widely accepted to be one of the major drivers for climate change. It is used in industrial production, mobility, power generation as well as for heating and cooling purposes. As a matter of fact, residential and commercial heating applications contribute a significant amount to the utilization of fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas. District heating networks are systems used to provide heating service, fueled by the by-products of power generation, but are gaining more and more significance in the energy transition and decarbonisation of the heating sector. In district heating networks, heat can be produced with relatively low specific carbon emission (cogeneration, biomass etc.) and efficiently distributed to a large amount of consumers through dedicated networks. In this thesis study, energy and exergy analysis of İnönü University Central Heating System, which consumes 2 684 211 m3 natural gas fuel annually, was performed. Energy and exergy efficiency of fuel, boiler and flue gases are determined by making energy and exergy analyzes. As a result of the analysis, boiler energy efficiency was calculated as 86.88% and boiler exergy efficiency as 20.70%. Boiler energy efficiency and exergy efficiency decreased as the excess air coefficient increased. At the same time, the increase in flue gas temperatures caused a decrease in boiler energy efficiency and exergy efficiency. Suggestions have also been made in terms of energy efficiency and energy saving.