International Journal of Energy Research, Vol.34, No.12, 1088-1095, 2010
Proposal of a hybrid CHP system: SOFC/microturbine/absorption chiller
Distributed generation is becoming an attractive option for industrial and commercial scale customers. The main advantage of this on-site power generation is that it offers a more efficient, reliable and cost-effective power supply. In addition, waste heat can be used for local heating or cooling. This is known as cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP). In the present work, a hybrid-CHP system for a 230 kWe demand building is proposed and analyzed. The system considers the coupling of: A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell stack with an output of 200 kWe A Microturbine with an output of 30 kWe A single effect Absorption cooling system providing 55 kWt for air conditioning using water chillers This plant would use natural gas as the primary fuel. The SOFC module is fed with the gas fuel and the whole stack generates the main power while acting as a combustor. The product gases exit the anode at a temperature of 900 degrees C and are directly injected to the Micro Gas Turbine unit to produce additional power. Finally, the waste heat available at the turbine's exhaust fires a single effect Absorption Water-Chiller to provide cooling for air conditioning in the building. This proposed system would generate up to 230 kWe and 55 kWt with high thermal efficiencies of around 70-75%. Currently, Hybrid SOFC/GT and Microturbine/CHP systems are being considered or tested at several facilities. However, a combination of both, which would yield to trigeneration, has not been considered yet. Here we present a conceptual model based on specific proposals and investigations done by other researchers. A theoretical analysis on the proposed model is conducted to evaluate the potential and possibilities of such Hybrid CHP system and further discussions based on the economical considerations is also presented. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Keywords:solid oxide fuel cell;microturbine;absorption chiller;distributed generation;combined heat and power