Using adsorption chillers for utilising waste heat from power plants

Abstract

At present, energy efficiency is a very important issue and it is power generation facilities, among others, that have to confront this challenge. The simultaneous production of electricity, heat and cooling, the so-called trigeneration, allows for substantial savings in the chemical energy of fuels. More efficient use of the primary energy contained in fuels translates into tangible earnings for power plants while reductions in the amounts of fuel burned, and of non-renewable resources in particular, certainly have a favorable impact on the natural environment. The main aim of the paper was to investigate the contribution of the use of adsorption chillers to improve the energy efficiency of a conventional power plant through the utilization of combined heat and power waste heat, involving the use of adsorption chillers. An adsorption chiller is an item of industrial equipment that is driven by low grade heat and intended to produce chilled water and desalinated water. Nowadays, adsorption chillers exhibit a low coefficient of performance. This type of plant is designed to increase the efficiency of the primary energy use. This objective as well as the conservation of non-renewable energy resources is becoming an increasingly important aspect of the operation of power generation facilities. As part of their project, the authors have modelled the cycle of a conventional heat power plant integrated with an adsorption chiller-based plant. Multi-variant simulation calculations were performed using IPSEpro simulation software.