Planning scenarios for the supply of geothermal heat to agricultural companies.

About Warmte Netwerk Westland

Stijn Wolterink is a district heating system developer at Warmte Netwerk Westland, which supplies geothermal heat to agricultural companies in the Westland region of the Netherlands. He first heard about Fluidit from Rotterdam Engineering, a consultant who proposed using Fluidit in a large research project. Stijn’s first impressions of Fluidit were positive: “User-friendly and feature-rich tool!”

Stijn has used Fluidit Heat for technical system analysis projects, specifically to calculate future scenarios of Warmte Netwerk Westland. “The scenario features are very helpful for planning and analysis,” Stijn says. Using the software has impacted the efficiency and effectiveness of his working processes: “We are able to let a consultant do a hydraulic system analysis, after which we can get the Fluidit model as a deliverable. In that way, we are able to get a better understanding of the system and the results, and we are also able to make simple changes ourselves.”

Finding solutions to challenges

One specific challenge that the software helped Stijn and his team solve was modeling a multi-source heating network with multiple rings. Fluidit Heat helped them determine the maximum network capacity in a specific area and identify the supply pressures required to deliver the desired power to consumers. These results were critical input to the design process for individual geothermal plants.

Compared to other thermo-hydraulic modeling software and services, Fluidit Heat’s main benefit is its seamless integration with geographic information systems and its ability to visualize results in depth. It also has unique capabilities, such as the ability to model dynamically (as opposed to static modeling) and incorporate pumps and accumulators. The support and customer service from Fluidit have been excellent, Stijn underlines.

Conclusions

Using Fluidit Heat has increased the accuracy and reliability of Stijn’s modeling work by making it easy to run multiple scenarios with minimal additional cost and time. Stijn would recommend Fluidit Heat and Fluidit to other utility and engineering companies seeking modeling software and services.

“I recommend Fluidit software for its user-friendliness, feature-richness, and flexible licensing options. The support and customer service from Fluidit have been excellent, which has helped us skill-up ourselves in modeling.”

If you’re interested in learning how Fluidit Heat can elevate your district heating or cooling projects, reach out to us at sales@fluidit.com or fill out the contact form.