The role of policy instruments for promoting combined heat and power production with low CO2 emissions in district heating systems

Policy instruments clearly influence the choice of production technologies and fuels in large energy systems, including district heating networks. Current Swedish policy instruments aim at promoting the use of biofuel in district heating systems, and at promoting electric power generation from renewable energy sources. However, there is increasing pressure to harmonize energy policy instruments within the EU. In addition, natural gas based combined cycle technology has emerged as the technology of choice in the power generation sector in the EU. This study aims at exploring the role of policy instruments for promoting the use of low CO₂ emissions fuels in high performance combined heat and power systems in the district heating sector. The paper presents the results of a case study for a Swedish district heating network where new large size natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) combined heat and power (CHP) is being built. Given the aim of current Swedish energy policy, it is assumed that it could be of interest in the future to integrate a biofuel gasifier to the CHP plant and co‐fire the gasified biofuel in the gas turbine unit, thereby reducing usage of fossil fuel. The goals of the study are to evaluate which policy instruments promote construction of the planned NGCC CHP unit, the technical performance of an integrated biofuelled pressurized gasifier with or without dryer on plant site, and which combination of policy instruments promote integration of a biofuel gasifier to the planned CHP unit. The power plant simulation program GateCycle was used for plant performance evaluation. The results show that current Swedish energy policy instruments favour investing in the NGCC CHP unit. The corresponding cost of electricity (COE) from the NGCC CHP unit is estimated at 253 SEK MWh^?1, which is lower than the reference power price of 284 SEK MWh^?1. Investing in the NGCC CHP unit is also shown to be attractive if a CO₂ trading system is implemented. If the value of tradable emission permits (TEP) in such as system is 250 SEK tonne^?1, COE is 353 SEK MWh^?1 compared to the reference power price of 384 SEK MWh^?1. It is possible to integrate a pressurized biofuel gasifier to the NGCC CHP plant without any major re‐design of the combined cycle provided that the maximum degree of co‐firing is limited to 27–38% (energy basis) product gas, depending on the design of the gasifier system. There are many parameters that affect the economic performance of an integrated biofuel gasifier for product gas co‐firing of a NGCC CHP plant. The premium value of the co‐generated renewable electricity and the value of TEPs are very important parameters. Assuming a future CO₂ trading system with a TEP value of 250 SEK tonne^?1 and a premium value of renewable electricity of 200 SEK MWh^?1 COE from a CHP plant with an integrated biofuelled gasifier could be 336 SEK MWh^?1, which is lower than both the reference market electric power price and COE for the plant operating on natural gas alone. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mini- and micro-gas turbines for combined heat and power

The use of mainframe gas turbines for power generation has increased in recent years and is likely to continue to increase. The proportion of power generation using combined heat and power is also growing mainly due to efficiency improvements and environmental benefits.

Mini- and micro-turbines offer a number of potential advantages compared to other technologies for small-scale power generation, particularly for distributed power generation, although there are some technical and non-technical barriers to the implementation of the technology. There is an uncertainty about their market potential but they could be used for power generation in the industrial, commercial and residential sectors. The market potential could increase substantially if the cost, efficiency, durability, reliability, and environmental emissions of the existing designs are improved.     

Practical modelling of micro combined heat and power applications for local authority district heating schemes

The primary purposes of this paper are to describe a practical model which can be used to assist economic evaluation of district heating proposals, with particular reference to potential micro combined heat and power (CHP) applications, and to discuss the results of applying this model to a proposal for a particular scheme. The problems of realistic simulation of demand patterns, and the sensitivity of micro-CHP project values to scale, fuel prices, differential purchase/selling tariffs for electricity, duty cycle and plant utilization factors are discussed. Of several options, two were shown to be economically viable, relative to existing methods of supply (gas-fired boilers); however, the margin of benefit is small relative to wisely chosen modern boiler installations. A brief discussion of alternative methods of finance is provided; ceteris paribus, the proposed scheme would not be likely to attract venture capital from would-be lease-hire agencies. There is scope however for pilot schemes, whose results could be used to define more closely the limits of uncertainty of, for example, annual availability and duty cycle influences on the cost economics of operations.     

The total energy approach: Evolution of combined heat and power for district heating and/or cooling

Combined heat and power (CHP) generation is not a new concept, but it provides an elegant solution to some of our present fuel problems, offering, as it does, 80% or greater efficiency. However, Great Britain lags behind other European countries with respect to the rate of introduction of CHP together with district heating and/or cooling (DHC) systems. Reviews of (i) the historical development of the designs of DHC pipelines, from insulated pipes in air-filled ducts to the modern preinsulated pipes buried in the ground, and (ii) sources of energy as well as developments in metering and control, for CHP-DHC systems, are presented. The cost effectiveness of each CHP-DHC system is highly sensitive to unit fuel prices, current discount rate, as well as the capital cost incurred. In the best interests of Britain, major governmental investments are now needed urgently in order to encourage the wider adoption of these systems.     

A methodology to compare combined heat and power systems operating under emissions reduction policies considering biomass co-fired,coal- and natural gas-fuelled steam turbines

A steam turbine CHP system with the option for co-firing biomass was examined under current carbon pricing legislation and the proposed emissions reduction policy of the newly elected Federal Government in Australia. When the boiler was fuelled by coal, the system was liable for the carbon price and was unprofitable indicating that the carbon price was successful as an incentive to reduce emissions. This result held only whilst carbon prices were at the values assumed in the analysis. The system would be more financially beneficial under the new Government policy, as it would not be penalized for its high emissions. All systems operating with a natural gas-fuelled boiler were unprofitable. In an attempt to reduce emissions, a co-fired boiler with biomass and coal was proposed. Emissions at 20 % biomass were still above the threshold determining liability; therefore, co-firing was not able to eliminate carbon pricing liability. Due to the high price of biomass, the carbon price could not be offset and was therefore not an economical solution for reducing emissions. However, when biomass pricing was adopted from more established markets, co-firing became somewhat conducive only when the carbon price was repealed.     

Carbon monoxide emissions of combined pellet and solar heating systems

Emissions are an important aspect of a pellet heating system. Low harmful emissions, particularly carbon monoxide, are a measure of a well performing system. High carbon monoxide emissions are often caused by unnecessary cycling of the burner and when the average load is below the lowest possible combustion power of the burner. Combining pellet heaters with a solar heating system can significantly reduce cycling of the pellet heater and avoid the inefficient summer operation of the pellet heater.Five combined systems representing the range of typical solutions of this system type and one recently developed system have been studied, modelled and simulated. These systems are compared to a reference system, which is based on a pellet boiler and is not combined with a solar heating system. The aim was to study CO-emissions of the different types of systems and to analyse the potential of CO-emission reduction when the pellet heater is combined with a solar heating systems. Another aim was to compare the yearly CO-emissions obtained from simulations under realistic dynamic conditions with the yearly CO-emissions calculated based on the values that are obtained by the standard test methods and with the limit values of different regulations. The results from the simulations show that it is possible to almost halve the CO-emissions if the pellet heater is combined with a solar heating system. The results also show that the CO-emissions of existing combined solar and pellet heating systems can be drastically reduced if the pellet heater is properly controlled and some basic design rules are observed. Comparing the yearly CO-emissions obtained from the simulations with the yearly CO-emissions calculated based on the standard test methods shows that using the latter give too low CO-values for the whole year. It is also shown that for the existing systems the average emissions under these realistic annual conditions were greater than the limit values of two eco-labels.     

热电联产和区域供热对减少CO2排放的贡献

CO2作为一种温室气体，是全球气候变暖的主要原因。采用热电联产和区域供热是抑制CO2排放的有效手段。文章通过世界上一些代表性国家的统计数据对此进行了说明，并对我国的情况进行了分析。     

Design and performance of direct heat exchange geothermal district heating schemes

A variety of geothermal district heating scheme designs have been studied, differences of configuration have been identified and the design principles used to obtain maximum geothermal heat supply have been defined. The main principle is that return temperatures to the heat exchange must be as low as possible and to achieve this the network must be operated with variable temperature and flow in response to fluctuating demands. The location of back-up boilers, the type of sub-station and the inclusion of domestic water heating normally have small effects on performance. However, in some cases, water heating can have a detrimental effect.     

A district heating system based on absorption heat exchange with CHP systems

In order to decrease the energy consumption of large-scale district heating systems with cogeneration, a district heating system is presented in this paper based on absorption heat exchange in the cogeneration system named Co-ah cycle, which means that the cogeneration system is based on absorption heat exchange. In substations of the heating system, the temperature of return water of primary heat network is reduced to about 25°C through the absorption heat-exchange units. In the thermal station of the cogeneration plant, return water is heated orderly by the exhaust steam in the condenser, the absorption heat pumps, and the peak load heater. Compared with traditional heating systems, this system runs with a greater circuit temperature drop so that the delivery capacity of the heat network increases dramatically. Moreover, by recovering the exhausted heat from the condensers, the capacity of the district heating system and the energy efficiency of the combined heat and power system (CHP system) are highly developed. Therefore, high energy and economic efficiency can be obtained.     

A district heating system based on absorption heat exchange with CHP systems

In order to decrease the energy consumption of large-scale district heating systems with cogeneration, a district heating system is presented in this paper based on absorption heat exchange in the cogeneration system named Co-ah cycle, which means that the cogeneration system is based on absorption heat exchange. In substations of the heating system, the temperature of return water of primary heat network is reduced to about 25°C through the absorption heat-exchange units. In the thermal station of the cogeneration plant, return water is heated orderly by the exhaust steam in the condenser, the absorption heat pumps, and the peak load heater. Compared with traditional heating systems, this system runs with a greater circuit temperature drop so that the delivery capacity of the heat network increases dramatically. Moreover, by recovering the exhausted heat from the condensers, the capacity of the district heating system and the energy efficiency of the combined heat and power system (CHP system) are highly developed. Therefore, high energy and economic efficiency can be obtained.     

Evaluation of the performance of combined cooling,heating, and power systems with dual power generation units

The benefits of using a combined cooling, heating, and power system with dual power generation units (D-CCHP) is examined in nine different U.S. locations. One power generation unit (PGU) is operated at base load while the other is operated following the electric load. The waste heat from both PGUs is used for heating and for cooling via an absorption chiller. The D-CCHP configuration is studied for a restaurant benchmark building, and its performance is quantified in terms of operational cost, primary energy consumption (PEC), and carbon dioxide emissions (CDE). Cost spark spread, PEC spark spread, and CDE spark spread are examined as performance indicators for the D-CCHP system. D-CCHP system performance correlates well with spark spreads, with higher spark spreads signifying greater savings through implementation of a D-CCHP system. A new parameter, thermal difference, is introduced to investigate the relative performance of a D-CCHP system compared to a dual PGU combined heat and power system (D-CHP). Thermal difference, together with spark spread, can explain the variation in savings of a D-CCHP system over a D-CHP system for each location. The effect of carbon credits on operational cost savings with respect to the reference case is shown for selected locations.     

Model-based influencing factors analysis of residential heat consumption in district heating systems

Abstract

A simplified and accurate hybrid model is proposed to analyze, evaluate, and predict space heating energy consumption and indoor temperature in residential buildings connected to district heating systems. With classical engineering equations of thermodynamic laws, this method uses physical and empirical modeling to describe heat exchangers in real-time. Furthermore, the model has optimized the cost of computation and enhanced the prediction accuracy. It is revealed this method can accurately predict the residential heat load and indoor temperature with the maximum error of ±10%. The architectural parameter, outdoor temperature, and wind velocity have decisive effects on the heat energy demand.     

Thermal performance of combined solar and pellet heating systems

Various pellet heating systems are marketed in Sweden, some of them in combination with a solar heating system. Several types of pellet heating units are available and can be used for a combined system. This article compares four typical combined solar and pellet heating systems. System 1 and 2 with a pellet stove, system 3 with a store integrated pellet burner and system 4 with a pellet boiler. The often lower efficiency of pellet heaters compared to oil or gas heaters increases the final energy demand. Consequently, heat losses of the various systems have been studied. The systems have been modeled in TRNSYS and simulated with parameters identified from measurements. For almost all systems the flue gas losses are the main heat losses except for system 3 where store heat losses prevail. Relevant are also the heat losses of the burner and the boiler to the ambient. Significant leakage losses are noticed for system 3 and 4. For buildings with an open internal design system 1 is the most efficient solution. Other buildings should preferably apply system 2 or 3. The right choice of the system depends also on whether the heater is placed inside or outside of the heated area. Unlike the expectations and results from other studies, the operation of the pellet heaters with modulating combustion power is not necessarily improving the performance. A large potential for system optimisation exists for all studied systems, which when applied could alter the relative merits of the different system types.     

Climate influence on district heating and electricity demands

This paper describes the district heating and electricity load of Kalmar, Sweden. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to examine one full year because the monitoring of the energy use for district heating and electricity, and the outdoor temperature, did not exactly overlap. However, more than 7200 h, of the 8760 in a full year, have been examined. It is shown that the district heat load has a far higher correlation with the outdoor temperature (a coefficient of 0·89), than has the electricity load (0·33). Thus, it is much easier to predict the influence of, e.g. an insulation retrofit for the building stock where district heating is used compared with electricity space heating. It is also shown how an estimate can be made of the thermal transmission factor for the total building stock.     

A key review on performance improvement aspects of geothermal district heating systems and applications

This paper deals with a comprehensive analysis and discussion of geothermal district heating systems and applications. In this regard, case studies are presented to study the thermodynamic aspects in terms of energy and exergy and performance improvement opportunities of three geothermal district heating systems, namely (i) Balcova geothermal district heating system (BGDHS), (ii) Salihli geothermal district heating system (SGDHS), and (iii) Gonen geothermal district heating system (GGDHS) installed in Turkey. Energy and exergy modeling of geothermal district heating systems for system analysis and performance evaluation are given, while their performances are evaluated using energy and exergy analysis method. Energy and exergy specifications are presented in tables. In the analysis, the actual system operational data are utilized. In comparison of the local three district heating systems with each other, it is found that the SGDHS has highest energy efficiency, while the GGDHS has highest exergy efficiency.     

Long-term thermodynamic performance of solar heat and power systems

This paper describes a long-term simulation study of solar thermal systems incorporating second-law considerations. Both open-loop and closed-loop heat collecting configurations are simulated using hourly meteorological data. The entropy generation in each subcomponent is calculated on an hourly basis to obtain the yearly mean second-law efficiency. The effects of load temperature, mode of operation, collector type, collector area and storage tank size are investigated. Some results are presented for a solar-Rankine power plant using R-12 and R-22 as the working fluids. The use of the plate temperature as the ‘source’ temperature gives an optimal collector size which maximizes the second-law efficiency. When the equivalent ‘sun’ temperature is used, the second-law efficiency decreases with collector area for both types of heating system.     

Total planning of combined district heating,cooling and power generation systems for a new town—Part II

The objective of this study is to introduce one of the main results of the project for studying energy conservation technologies in a new airport town, which is organized by the Osaka Science and Technology Center, Japan. First, based on the estimated energy demands in the new town, technological aspects are investigated for the district heating, cooling and hot water supply system. Then, the economic and energy saving characteristics are compared for several alternative systems according to the differences of the type of absorption refrigerating machine and so forth. Assuming that a combined heat and power plant is used as the heat source plant of the district thermal distribution system, the optimal combined district heating, cooling and power generation system has been selected from a comprehensive economic viewpoint. Lastly, it is ascertained that if fuel costs continue to rise at the rate of 8 per cent per year, the best energy conservation system becomes superior economically to the conventional district thermal distribution system.     

Estimating the power and number of microturbines in small-scale combined heat and power systems

Utilizing the combined heat and power (CHP) systems to produce both electricity and heat is growing rapidly due to their high efficiency and low emissions in domestic, commercial, and industrial applications. In the first two categories among available drivers, due to the compact size and low weight, microturbines are attractive choice. In this paper, by using an energy–economic analysis the type and number of the required microturbines for the specific electricity and heat load curves during a year were selected. For performing this task an objective function annual profit (AP) was introduced and maximized. The operation strategy and the payback period of the chosen system was also determined in this study.     

Mapping of combined heat and power systems in cane sugar industry

Cogenerating systems based on steam turbines (1–20 MW_t) are indispensable when the source of energy is a solid fuel such as bagasse as in a sugar industry. These systems provide a wide range of heat to power ratios from 0 to as high as 100. The energy productivity of sugar plants differ vastly because of variations in equipment efficiency, system configuration and operating steam conditions. In this paper a mapping of the entire operating range of steam based combined heat and power plants spanning pure back pressure to pure condensing environments, based on standard steam conditions in installations and efficiencies which are currently being achieved experimentally, is presented. This will enable the rational choice of combinations, which will yield the best economic advantage. As the operating steam pressure is increased (and consequently the matching superheated temperatures) the in-house steam requirement reduces drastically and simultaneously the exportable power increases. Improvements in the systems by the use of advanced designs of steam turbines and introduction of information technologies and associated supervision control and data acquisition, energy management system, multi-media interaction, etc., is also briefly highlighted. The maximum exportable electrical power from a sugar mill after meeting the internal requirement is around 146 kW h/t of cane. The maximum exportable of steam (no power export) is around 0.65 t/t of cane.