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COGENERATION:

Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of heat and power in a single

thermodynamic process. Cogeneration, goes by several names. It is also known as
“combined heat and power” (CHP), cogen, total energy, and combined cycle. Its simple
definition is the simultaneous production of heat (usually in the form of hot water and/or
steam) and power, utilizing one primary fuel.
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate
both useful mechanical and useful thermal energy. Mechanical energy is frequently used
to turn a generator producing electrical energy. Thermal energy can also be used to
generate cooling—for example in the case of an absorption chiller.
Cogeneration today is widely used throughout the world for efficient production of heat
and power. Heat that is normally wasted in conventional power generation is recovered
as useful energy, which avoids the losses that would otherwise be incurred from separate
generation of heat and power. While the conventional method of producing usable heat
and power separately has a typical combined efficiency of 45 percent, CHP systems can
operate at levels as high as 80 percent.
Cogeneration has the opportunity to:
 Improve system reliability and availability—especially when CHP is used as a
primary source of energy and the utility systems are used as reliable back-up
sources.
 Improve system efficiency—as compared to typical power generation without
useful heat recovery.
 Reduce total operating costs—as compared to purchasing or generating electricity
and heat energy in separate systems.
FUELS USED FOR COGENERATION:
Primary fuels commonly used in cogeneration include,
Natural gas, oil, diesel fuel, propane, coal, wood, wood-waste, and bio-mass.

ELEMENTS OF A COGENERATION PLANT:

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A cogeneration plant consists of four basic elements: • Prime mover (engine)

• Electricity generator
• Heat recovery system
• Control system

A typical cogeneration system consists of an engine, steam turbine, or combustion

turbine that drives an electric generator. A waste heat exchanger recovers waste
heat from the engine and/or exhaust gas to produce hot water or steam all
managed by the control system. Cogeneration produces a given amount of electric
power and process heat with 10% to 30% less fuel than it takes to produce the
electricity and process heat separately.

EXAMPLE:
An emerging technology that has cogeneration possibilities is the fuel cell. A fuel
cell is a device that converts hydrogen to electricity without combustion. Heat is
also produced. Most fuel cells use natural gas (composed mainly of methane) as
the source of hydrogen.

HOW DOES CHP WORK?

A conventional power plant makes electricity by a fairly inefficient process. A fossil
fuel such as oil, coal, or natural gas is burned in a giant furnace to release heat
energy. The heat is used to boil water and make steam, the steam drives a turbine,
the turbine drives a generator, and the generator makes electricity.
The trouble with this is that energy is wasted in every step of the process. For
example, the water that's boiled into steam to drive the steam turbines has to be
cooled back down using giant cooling towers in the open air, wasting huge amounts
of energy. Now a fuel-driven power plant has to work by heating and cooling but
we don't have to waste quite so much energy in the process.

Instead of letting heat escape uselessly up cooling towers, why not simply pipe it
as hot water to homes and offices instead? That's essentially the idea behind CHP:
to capture the heat that would normally be wasted in electricity generation and
supply it to local buildings as well. Where a conventional power plant makes
electricity and wastes the heat it makes as a byproduct, a CHP power plant makes
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both electricity and hot water and supplies both to consumers. Cogeneration
simply means that the electricity and heat are made at the same time.

Because a CHP combines both steam and electricity production from one plant, the
loss of production of one commodity can also mean the loss of the other.
A mechanical failure resulting in the loss of steam production can also mean a loss
in electric supply capability. The length of any allowable interruption must also be
considered—because for some process plants—a short 15-minute interruption in
steam or electricity may result in weeks or months of lost production to the host
process plant.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHP PLANT:

As electricity demands rise worldwide and as steam and utility systems in

industrial plants age and require repair and replacement, opportunities present
themselves for the use of CHP plants that can serve the industrial complex. These
CHP plants can provide electricity use economically and in an environmentally
friendly manner.
In evaluating the use of a CHP plant, there are several factors to keep in
consideration including:
 Capital utilization / productivity
This factor considers the cost of the plant construction compared to the average thermal
and electric output of the plant. This factor is decreased by reducing capital costs,
increasing the capacity factor, or fully utilizing the plant.
Capacity factor is defined as the average load over a defined time period divided by the
design capacity of the plant. A CHP plant with a capacity factor of 40% has a capital
productivity factor double that of a plant with an average capacity factor of 80%.
 Local electricity rates
The costs of electricity must be evaluated taking into account the demand and energy
portion of the electric rates. Some electric utility companies have electric tariff rate
structures that deter the development of CHP plants by their customers.
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 Efficiency gains versus fuel prices

These are often called “cogen buster” rates, and add sizable complications to making CHP
plants economically feasible when remaining tied to the electric utility for supplemental
or backup services.

 Steam load versus electric load

Due to the fact that cogeneration is the generation of both electric and steam, CHP plants
are best suited to serve loads where the electric and steam loads are closely related. The
CHP plant will generate a fixed amount of electricity when meeting a given steam
demand.
 Reliability requirements (steam and electric)
If the CHP plant encounters reliability issues, the plant will result in backup electricity
costs due to forced outages. Backup charges can be very costly. When considering CHP
plant installation it is imperative to have a clear understanding of the cost impact as well
as the potential of the external sales and purchases.
 Fuel availability and selection
Fuel source is a significant cost driver even with the large efficiency gains. Replacement
of a retiring coal-fired steam plant with a new state-of-the-art, gas-fired CHP plant may
not be the most cost-effective approach. Even with a reduction in fuel usage of 30%—for
the same thermal output, the price for natural gas compared to coal is even more
significant. The result can be a greater total fuel cost with CHP. The economic analysis of
the plant must include a full comparison of costs for electricity and steam.

CONCLUSION:
The actual efficiency of a CHP plant depends on how well it supplies the heat it produces.
Since the heat is generally carried as hot water, the efficiency is greatest when the power
plant is closest to the buildings it's serving. In other words, CHP works best as a
decentralized form of energy supply with more and smaller power plants built very close
to local communities. Cutting the distance between power plants and consumers also
makes the electricity supply more efficient: since the electrical power has to travel down
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shorter lengths of wire, less energy is lost due to resistance. Taking decentralization to its
logical conclusion, it can even work out efficient for offices, schools, hotels, and
apartment buildings to have their own mini or micro CHP power plant producing their
electricity and hot water where it is consumed and sending any unwanted electricity to
the power grid for other people to use.