A constraint equivalent model of heat network for combined heat and power systems cooperation considering uncertainties

•A constraint equivalent model for heat networks is proposed. In this model, the operational constraints of heat networks are mapped to the feasible region of CHP units, which protects the privacy of heat networks.•A boundary point search method is further developed to efficiently solve the constraint equivalent model and construct a high-accuracy approximation of actual feasible region.•A cooperation method with the rolling horizon strategy is proposed considering the uncertainties of heat and power loads. In the proposed cooperation method, the feasible region of CHP units is provided to the power system only once, which alleviates the communication burden.•Compared with other cooperation methods, simulation results show the advantages of the proposed cooperation method in balancing privacy protection and the quality of the solution.•The impact of heat storage tanks and uncertainties of heat loads on the boundaries of the feasible region is further analyzed.