Comparing Two Engines of 425 kWe with the same Cogeneration Configuration through a Computational Simulation Methodology

Abstract

Cogeneration systems have proved to be a good choice for decentralized power generation in sites of coincident electrical and thermal loads. However, site electrical and thermal demands can vary substantially with the hour of the day, which makes cogeneration systems achieve a high energy utilization factor (EUF) at hours of high coincident demands, and a low EUF at hours of small coincident demands. In designing such a system, energy supplied by different prime movers should be compared with energy demands, in order to choose the best option. Thermal systems simulation is a useful design tool which helps assess the economical feasibility of different possible cogeneration systems. In this paper, a computational hourly profile simulation methodology that combines curve fittings from literature and manufacturers' data with mathematical representations of physical phenomena is used to predict the performance of one given cogeneration configuration with two different engines, one naturally aspirated and the other turbocharged.

Keywords

• thermal system integration, internal combustion engine, absorption chiller, heat recovery steam generator, computer simulation, software, iterative procedures