Tri-generation - combining cogeneration and cooling

By Mr Magnus Ib Foged, Senior Energy Planner, COWI Technical Data The analyses showed that installation of a small local CHP was feasible, and a gas-fired CHP was taken into operation at the end of 1994. The electric capacity of the plant is 660 kW, while the thermal capacity is 800 kW. The plant is installed in the basement of the building. To optimise the electricity production to the actual Danish 3-step electricity tariff, heat storage facilities were established in connection with the CHP plant. Due to limited space in the buildings basement, the heat storage is divided on two pressure tanks, each with a volume of 25 m 3 and the normal temperature set is 90/50 o C. The heat is supplied to two 8-storeyed buildings, and with a direct connection of the heat storage tanks to the heat system (without heat exchangers), it was not possible to use pressureless tanks. The main part of the heat is used for space heating in offices. Due to high heat loads from computers, lights and employees, in combination with good insulation, these offices need additional heat supply only during the winter period (3-4 months). In the light of these facts, there was a discussion about the possibility of using heat in an absorption chiller for production of chilled water for air-condition and the central computer installations. The financial analyses documented that the investors normal requirements to new investments were fulfilled ; Mr Hans Peter Jrgensen (Danica Forsikring), who was responsible for the daily operation of the plant, had experiences with other absorption chillers (operated with superheated water of 160 oC) and he could recommend the technical solution without hesitation. In 1995, the absorption chiller was installed. The capacity is approximately 500 kW chilled water, with a temperature set of 6/12oC. The heat consumption at maximum load on the absorption chiller is approx. 800 kW, corresponding to the heat capacity of the CHP plant. The absorption chiller is interconnected with two traditional compressor chillers used in peak load periods. The tri-generation system is illustrated in figure 1. Operational experiences After some minor start-up problems, the function of the entire system has become very satisfactory. The plant has now been in operation for six years. During these six years, the main problems have been as follows: during the first winter, very low temperatures damaged the cooling tower located on the top of one of the buildings. This problem was solved with electric tracing of some pipes the CHP engine was planned for the rather high return temperature (50 - 60oC) from the absorption plant. However, after four year the engines cylinder heads were damaged due to the high return temperature. The engine supplier paid for the needed reconstruction.

Mr Hans Peter Jrgensen, Engineer, Danica Forsikring

In the beginning of the 1990s, as a part of the Danish Energy policy, all owners of boiler houses with an installed capacity higher than 1 MW were requested to analyse the possibility of conversion to combined heat and power production. One of these boiler houses was owned by the insurance company Tryg, supplying their own main office, now rented by another insurance company named Danica, as well as part of COWIs main office in Lyngby, situated in the northern part of Greater Copenhagen.

The daily maintenance is limited to checking the vacuum level in the absorption plant only, and sometimes to start the vacuum pump for a few minutes. Every spring, the supplier checks the chiller before it is taken into operation. Conclusion The average coefficient of performance (COP) has been approx. 60% and the production of chilled water in the summer 2001 was approximately 300 MWh. To produce this amount of chilled water, 480 MWh of heat was used. The result of this operation is an additional 600 hours of operation of the CHP plant on maximum load. News from DBDH 4/2001

Figure 1: The tri-generation system comprising CHP plant, absorption chiller and heat storage tank. The energy flow in the tri-generation plant is illustrated in the energy flow diagram shown in figure 2.

Figure 2: Energy flow diagram for the tri-generation plant. Due to the implementation of energy savings in the older of the two 8-storeyed buildings, surplus heat capacity was available, and new office buildings were connected to the heat system in the winter of 2000/ 2001. The capacity of the cooling system was fully utilised; consequently, the new office buildings were equipped with separate cooling systems. The additional production of electricity is approx. 400 MWh and the saved electricity for operation of compressors (COP = 3) is approx. 100 MWh. The additional consumption of natural gas for operation of the engine is approx. 1000 MWh. The conclusion is that the total concept in the summer 2001 produced an additional 500 MWh electricity in the electricity systems peak and high load periods with an efficiency of 50%. Ecomony The demand for cooling is concentrated on the working hours in the office buildings equal to the peak and medium load periods in the electricity system, where the price of electricity purchased to the public grid is high (approx. 85/ 70 EUR/MWh). With these prices, the sale of electricity pays all costs of running the CHP plant, meaning that the cost of the additional heat production is low and sometimes even negative,

Principle Diagram for Combined Heat & Power Plant

Natural Gas
Heat Exchanger Flue Gas (approx. 500C)

Cogeneration

Chilled Water 12C

Flue Gas (approx. 90C)

Engine
DH Supply (approx. 90C)

Generator

7C

DH Return (approx. 50C)

Cooling Tower

Heat Storage
Transformer

Chiller

resulting in a feasible operation of the absorption chiller. For further information please contact: COWI Consulting Engineers and Planners Att.: Mr Magnus Ib Foged Parallelvej 2 DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby

Phone +45 45 97 22 11 Fax +45 45 97 22 12 mif@cowi.dk Danica Forsikring Att.: Mr Hans Peter Jrgensen Parallelvej 17 DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby Phone +45 45 23 23 23 hajrge@danskebank.dk

News from DBDH 4/2001