No-risk Cogeneration

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cogeneration facilities, also called combined heat and power (CHP), typically achieve thermal efficiencies of 80–85 percent. The most efficient conventional electric generation plants typically do not exceed thermal efficiencies of 50 percent. The key to cogeneration's efficiency is the availability of a sizable “heat load.” A heat load is the requirement for heat, usually in the form of steam, used in the manufacture of a product, such as in the refining of oil, production of chemicals, or the processing of food. Although electric power equipment is available to anyone with sufficient capital, sizable heat loads are relatively scarce. Therefore, the availability of a heat load is the determining factor for achieving the superior efficiencies and resulting superior economics of cogeneration facilities. All economically viable cogeneration projects typically must satisfy heat loads of sufficient size, so that all engine exhaust can be absorbed by the facility's processes. Succinctly, efficient and...