COGENERATION
• Cogeneration is the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat
from the single fuel. It is also known as CHP i.e. combined heat and power.
• In one manifestation the energy of fuel is converted into heat in the boiler to
produce steam and this steam is used to generate electricity.
• Besides producing electricity, it provides heat for manufacturing process.
• Facilities with cogeneration systems use them to produce their own
electricity, and use the waste heat for process steam, hot water heating,
space heating, and other thermal needs.
• They may also use excess process heat to produce steam for electricity
production.
FIG. - Typical Conventional Power Generation Station
FIG. - Typical Cogeneration System
• Electricity generation into the environment through cooling towers, or by
other means.
• CHP captures the excess heat for domestic or industrial purposes.
• Cogeneration is an energy-efficient environmentally-friendly method of
producing electricity, steam or hot water at the same time from one fuel.
• Fuels used in cogeneration include natural gas, bio gas (gas fuels), oils,
gasoline (liquid fuels), coal, wood and solid waste (solid fuels) etc.
FIG. - Cogeneration Capacity By Fuels
• These "primary" fuels are used to make electricity, a "secondary" fuel.
• In fact all fuels (given above) can be used for cogeneration but natural gas is
the most common fuel for cogeneration.
• Because it is a fuel source which emits less than half the greenhouse gas
(methane), per unit of energy produced than the cleanest available thermal
power station.
• Conventional power plants do not convert all of their available energy into
electricity, with the excess being wasted as excess heat whereas in CHP
excess heat is captured.
• CHP is most efficient when the heat can be used on site or very close to it.
Osborne is the largest (180 MW) most modern cogeneration plant in
Australia.
TYPES OF PLANTS
• Cogeneration projects are typically represented by two basic types of
power cycles, topping or bottoming.
• The topping cycle has the widest industrial application.
• Topping cycle plants produce electricity first, then the exhaust is used for
heating.
• A topping cycle cogeneration plant always uses some additional fuel,
beyond what is needed for manufacturing, so there is an operating cost
associated with the power production.
• Bottoming cycle plants, which are rare, produce heat for an industrial
process first, then electricity is produced using a waste heat recovery
boiler.
• A cogeneration system can be inplant or reject heat utilization system.
• Inplant system is used in industries and steam is mainly used as process
steam and remaining steam is used for generating electrical energy.
Electric Power
Steam For Manufacturing
Process
Turbine
Steam Generator
Condensate
Boiler
Fuel
Water
FIG. – In plant power Generation system
Electric Power
Exhaust Steam to Adjacent
Industry
Turbine
Steam Generator
Condensate
Boiler
Fuel
Water
FIG. - Reject Heat Utilization System
COGENERATION TECHNOLOGIES
• A typical cogeneration system consists of an engine, steam turbine, or
combustion turbine that drives an electrical generator.
• 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.
• There are four types of topping cycle cogeneration systems
STEAM TURBINE SYSTEM:
• This type of system burns fuel to produce high-pressure steam that then
passes through a steam turbine, which is coupled, to generator. So,
electrical power is generated.
GAS TURBINE SYSTEM
• Fuel (mostly natural gas) is burnt in the combustion chamber and heats the
compressed air.
• The hot pressurized gas expands in gas turbine, which drives a generator.
• The exhaust gas goes to a heat recovery boiler that makes process steam
and process heat.
• Waste heat recovery boiler is defined as a heat retrieval unit using hot by-
product from chemical processes, to produce steam in a boiler type system
i.e. system for recovering heat from stream of heated gases.
• Heat recovery boilers can produce either hot water or steam by recovering
energy in the waste heat contained in the exhaust fumes of a gas turbine or
of an engine.
Fuel Combustion
Compressor Chamber
Generator
Air Gas Turbine
Electricity
Process
Gas Turbine
Steam
Exhaust
Waste Heat
recovery
Water Boiler
• This system burnsCOMBINED CYCLEtoSYSTEM
fuel in a gas turbine produce electrical or mechanical
power.
• The exhaust provides process heat, or goes to a heat recovery boiler to
create steam to drive a secondary steam turbine.
• This is a combined-cycle topping system, energy saving is 35%.
FIG. - Combined Cycle System
DIESEL ENGINE SYSTEM
• This system uses a diesel engine which is coupled to generator. The input
to diesel engine is fuel and air.
• The hot water from the engine jacket cooling system flows to a heat
recovery boiler, where it is converted to process steam and hot water for
space heating.
• This system can be used only if excess electricity can be sold because the
generation cost per unit is higher than other systems.
Gas Turbine Combined Diesel Engine Steam Turbine
Cycle
Suitable Where high Where wide Where high pressure Where low-cost
applications pressure steam fluctuations in steam not needed solid fuel
required the amount of available
energy required
Suitable size for 1 MW to 250 MW Medium to large Up to about 3 MW Low MW
applications upwards
Electrical Moderate to high High High to Medium Moderate
efficiency
Initial Cost Moderate High Low because of less High
pressure
Maintenance and Moderate Moderate High High
Operating Costs
Advantages Heat recovery steam High efficiency Good operational Can use most
generator can have characteristics with types of fuel
supplementary small sets including solid
firing High electricity to fuels such as
thermal ratio wood,
Disadvantages Not suitable below Expensive to High purchase cost and Low power-to-
about 3MWe make and to expensive to maintain heat ratio and a
maintain poor match
between process
steam and
electrical
requirements
ADVANTAGES OF COGENERATION
• Lower energy costs
• Excellent return on investment
• More environmentally friendly than purchased electricity from your utility
• Highly efficient
• Installation incentives available in some areas
• Best defense against rising electricity prices
FIG. - Graph showing the CO2 emissions
• Cogeneration technology provides greater conversion efficiencies than
traditional generation methods as it harnesses heat that would otherwise
be wasted.
• The heat by-product is available for use without the need for the further
burning of a primary fuel.
• This can result in up to more than a doubling of thermal efficiency or
higher heat values.
• Cogeneration systems predominantly use natural gas, a fuel source that
emits less than half the greenhouse gas, per unit of energy produced than
the cleanest available thermal power station.
• NOx emissions are lower, 25% in comparison to electricity produced in
coal-fired power plants and heat production in boilers. CO2 emissions are
30
DRAWBACKS OF COGENERATION
• In some cases, cogeneration can increase emissions of nitrogen oxides
and noise.
• CHP is most efficient when the heat can be used on site or very close to it.
• Overall efficiency is reduced when the heat must be transported over
longer distances whereas electricity can be transmitted along a
comparatively simple wire, and over much longer distances for the same
energy loss
APPLICATIONS
• Cogeneration plants are commonly found in district heating systems of big
towns, universities, hospitals, hotels, prisons, oil refineries, paper mills,
wastewater treatment plants, thermal enhanced oil recovery wells and
industrial plants with large heating needs.
• The industries that need both power and steam for their working are most
suitable for cogeneration.
• Paper, pulp, chemical, petroleum refining, textile, sugar, cement and iron
industries are some examples of cogeneration.
• Cogeneration plants are also found in district heating systems of big
towns, universities, hospitals, hotels, prisons, oil refineries, paper mills,
wastewater treatment plants etc.
SALE OF ELECTRICITY TO UTILITY AND IMPACT ON
COGENERATION
• Some industries demand a huge amount of process steam for manufacturing
and a limited electricity requirement.
• Basically it is the rate of purchasing electricity by electric utilities that
encourages industrialist to adopt cogeneration.
• Let the total annual cost of cogeneration system be Rs.C. if system produces
a units of electricity and b units of steam then a(x) + b(y) =C
Where x = prices of per unit of electricity generated
& y = prices of per unit of process steam
• To recover total cost C, the electricity price OE determines the steam price OS
provides a, band C are kept constant.
• The rate of purchasing electricity by electric utility may be equal to OE or
more than OE or less than OE.
• Industry will neither be encouraged nor discouraged i.e. neither be subsidized
nor taxed.
• If rate of purchasing is low, industries would have to produce more electricity
to recover the cost. If they are not doing so, then they have to pay tax
indicated by area XYX2.
• They need to produce less electricity. If the unit produces same amount of
electricity then the area XYX1 indicates the amount of subsidy paid to
industries going for cogeneration.
Y
Steam
Price
Rs/KC a2x+b1y=C
al
a1x+b1y=C
S
a3x+b1y=C
0 E X2 X X1
Electricity Price Rs. /KWh
FIG. - Impact of Pricing
