Patent ID: 9618215
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: F24D,F24T,F28D,Y02B,Y02E

Claim:
1. A method of operating an energy supply system comprising an energy storage unit and an energy production unit, comprising the steps of: predetermining a time frame in which the energy supply system will be functioning, calculating costs for operating the energy supply system in advance of operation for all time instants within the time frame and storing the calculated costs for each time instant in a table, the calculating of the costs for the table starting from assigning a terminal cost function which assigns a cost for operating the energy supply system to each of a plurality of values related to energy stored in the energy storage unit and stores the terminal cost function in the table, and then, working backwards in time from the terminal cost function, defining at each time interval optimal heat flux which gives a lowest cost for operating the energy supply system for every value related to the energy stored in the energy storage unit thus defining a new cost function at each time interval of the complete time frame and storing each new cost function in the table; and controlling and applying the amount of energy supplied by the energy storage unit so that at any time instant of the predetermined time frame, the energy storage unit is adapted to supply energy, wherein the step of controlling and applying the amount of energy supplied by the energy storage unit comprises: selecting from the table the optimal amount of energy to be supplied by the energy storage unit defined by the cost function stored for each time instant which minimizes the cost for operating the energy supply system at each time interval and applying the selected optimal amount of energy from the table for controlling the operation of the energy storage unit for continuous operation of the energy storage unit during the predetermined time frame.