Thermo-Economic Assessment on Insulation Conditions of the Buried Heating Pipeline for District Heating

Insulation performance and buried depth of heating pipelines are the vital factors affecting energy loss directly pipelines. This study considers thermo-economic assessment insulation for district heating. The optimal thickness, energy-saving effect, payback period with five nominal pipe diameters, four fuel types, kinds materials, depths calculated. A numerical code is developed based on Life Cycle Cost Analysis validated via comparing results in open literature. Three representative cities Xi’an, Shenyang, Harbin subjected to three different climatic zones China explored. highest values optimum thickness 176, 153, 121 mm Harbin, respectively, which reached using oil as fuel, rock wool material, diameter 500 mm, 1 m. sensitivity analysis performed indicate how much sensitive changes insulation, depth. show that have a greater influence than