Interactions between gas networks and microgrids through microturbines

By supplying thermal and electric energies to host facilities, microgrids with combined heat and power can enhance the resilience of urban energy systems. However, the increasing use of gas-fired distributed generations is pushing gas distribution networks to their operating limits, which may cause significant adverse impacts on microgrids. This paper investigates the interactions between gas networks and microgrids from the viewpoint of integrated energy systems. Four operating modes of microgrids are discussed to describe their connections with external energy networks. A novel model for gas-fired distributed generations, particularly microturbines, is first proposed to capture the interactions between gas networks and microgrids. An integrated system model is then developed to characterize the behaviors of the interrelated gas network and microgrids under different scenarios. Numerical results demonstrate that the variation of microturbine outputs may cause a large pressure drop of the gas network, especially during the transient process of gas flow adjustments. The results also reveal that microgrids can alter the operations among themselves through the accessed gas network.