PhD Oral Exam - Erfan Shafiee Roudbari, Building Engineering

When studying for a doctoral degree (PhD), candidates submit a thesis that provides a critical review of the current state of knowledge of the thesis subject as well as the student’s own contributions to the subject. The distinguishing criterion of doctoral graduate research is a significant and original contribution to knowledge.

Once accepted, the candidate presents the thesis orally. This oral exam is open to the public.

Abstract

The decarbonization of urban environments requires innovative and efficient solutions. Whether a building’s energy demand is met using fossil fuels or renewable electricity, there is always room for continuous improvement and greater sustainability. As a major energy-intensive sector, industries reject a portion of their input energy into the environment, which can instead be recovered to supply the heating demand of nearby residential or commercial buildings. This strategy becomes particularly appealing given the growing number of data centers, which represent major sources of excess heat and are often located in close proximity to urban areas.

Implementing heat-recovery systems offers several benefits, including reduced overall energy consumption, lower operating costs, decreased carbon emissions, and alignment with broader sustainability goals. Despite these advantages, heat recovery is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Several challenges, such as high initial capital costs, distance limitations, temperature constraints, and intermittent availability of excess heat, may limit its feasibility or economic attractiveness.

Assessing the trade-offs between the advantages and limitations of this approach is a complex task that extends beyond the evaluation of predefined scenarios. It requires an optimization framework capable of identifying the optimal solution among all feasible alternatives. In this thesis, several mathematical optimization models, each incorporating a different level of detail, are developed to determine the optimal urban heating system across various spatial scales, ranging from a single building to entire neighbourhoods comprising more than a thousand buildings. Additionally, multi-objective optimization is performed, integrating both financial and environmental considerations to support decision-makers in identifying the most suitable alternatives. Finally, several case studies of varying scales within the province of Quebec, particularly in the city of Montreal, are presented to demonstrate the benefits of heating buildings using excess heat recovered from industrial facilities.