ABSTRACT
The present investigation is a trial to tackle the problem of energy rationalization in
power generation. It is believed that such target can be reached through employment of
tri-generation system for combined heating, cooling and power production (CHCP). The
power range selected for the present study is from few hundreds kilowatt to five
megawatts electric demand. The present study investigates four arrangements to select
the best solution to achieve the requirements of power, cooling load, and/or heating
load for various applications. These arrangements include tri-generation, cogeneration
with heating, cogeneration with cooling, and separate unit arrangement.
A computer program was developed in the present investigation using Lab-View
graphical language. The developed computer code allows the selection of the most
economical power generating system to satisfy given requirements of electric, heating
and cooling loads. Moreover, the program model can determine the optimal strategies
that minimize the overall cost of energy for the CHCP system.
A comparison between the economics of each arrangement was conducted in terms of
total cost saving ratio (TCSR). This comparison revealed a saving ranging from 15% to
25% of the total cost of the separate units arrangement within five years by using
cogeneration or tri-generation arrangements. This saving is associated with the
employed energy rationalization technique, which is defined in terms of the primary
energy saving ratio (PESR). Cogeneration and tri-generation arrangements proved to
be able to achieve primary energy saving ratios ranging from 25% to 30%.