Anàlisi Energètica i Mediambiental

Absorption Chillers Integration in a Combined Heat and Power Plant

International Ab-sorption Heat Pump Conference
Montreal, Canada, Setembre 17-20, 1996.
Proceedings vol. II, pp. 759-767.

ABSTRACT

The construction of cogeneration facilities with an absorption chiller substantially reduces the energy costs of a process plant. The inclusion of an absorption cycle within a CHP plant provides the following advantages:

Production of cold from energy wastes with the corresponding reduction of electricity consumption.
Possibility of using the cooling facilities to reduce the inlet air temperature to the compressor of the cogeneration system.

To take full advantage of this integration we need the most suitable configuration of energy network, cogeneration system and absorption chiller, to allow the optimal energy saving. In order to attain this tool the Chemical Engineering Department, of the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, in Tarragona (Spain), has developed a simulation and optimization model for the integration of absorption chillers in cogeneration plants.

To validate the optimization model, a case study using actual data from existing operating plants has been used in this application. In the considered example, the cooling facilities from the absorption cycle are used to lower the inlet temperature to the compressor of the gas turbine to improve the global plant efficiency. The waste steam from the steam network is used in the generator of the absorption chiller. The final result is a reduction of the steam wastes, and a rise in the overall plant efficiency.

A simulation model of single effect Absorption Chiller by using Water-Lithium Bromide as working fluid pair, has been used to validate the methodology. The results are compared with those obtained by using a conventional compression chiller.

In conclusion, the methodology presented in this work make possible the integration of an absorption chiller in a CHP plant with its particular steam network. The model gives the optimal configuration according to an economical objective function.

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