This thesis presents experimental and simulated data gathered specifically to assess air-cooled proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells as a heat and electrical power source for residential combined heat and power (CHP). The experiments and simulations focused on the air-cooled Ballard Nexa fuel cell. The experimental characterization provided data to assess the CHP potential of the Nexa and validate the model used for the simulations. The model was designed to be applicable to any air-cooled PEM fuel cell. Based on hourly load data, four Nexa fuel cells would be required to meet the peak electrical load of a typical coastal British Columbia residence. For a year of operation with the four fuel cells meeting 100% of the electrical load, simultaneous heat generation would meet approximately 96% of the space heating requirements and overall fuel cell efficiency would be 70%. However, the temperature of the coolant expelled from the Nexa varies with load and is typically too low to provide for occupant comfort based on typical ventilation system requirements. For a year of operation, the coolant mean temperature rise is only 8.3 +/- 3.4 K above ambient temperature. To improve performance as a CHP heat engine, the Nexa and other air-cooled PEM fuel cells need to expel coolant at temperatures above 325 K. To determine if PEM fuel cells are capable of achieving this coolant temperature, a model was developed that simulates cooling system heat transfer. The model is specifically designed to determine coolant and stack temperature based on cooling system and stack design (i.e. geometry). Simulations using the model suggest that coolant mass flow through the Nexa can be reduced so that the desired coolant temperatures can be achieved without the Nexa stack exceeding 345 K during normal operation. Several observations are made from the presented research: 1) PEM fuel cell coolant air can be maintained at 325 K for residential space heating while maintaining the stack at a temperature below the 353 K Nafion design limits chosen for the simulations; 2) The pressure drop through PEM cooling systems needs to be considered for all stack and cooling system design geometries because blower power to overcome the pressure drop can become very large for designs specifically chosen to minimize stack temperature or for stacks with long cooling channels; 3) For the air-cooled Nexa fuel cell stack, heat transfer occurring within the fuel cell cooling channels is better approximated using a constant heat flux mean Nusselt correlation than a constant channel temperature Nusselt correlation. This is particularly true at higher output currents where stack temperature differences can exceed 8 K.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 272-293). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

This thesis investigates how combined heat and power plants (CHP) produce electricity, with respect to several external factors including outdoor temperature and electricity prices. The purpose is to develop and evaluate a tool, with the aim to increase the understanding of CHP plants electricity production behaviour. This tool resulted in an optimisation model, developed in Python and using the CVXPY package. The objective of the model is to include a system of production units and optimise the production from these by minimising the production costs, while also considering technical constraints. Inspiration for the model was found from a literature review and from interviews with people working in the CHP sector, where the latter also provided historical production data used for validation. When comparing the modelled yearly electricity production with the historical data for the same year, it was found that the model deviated less than 10 percent for the two real district heating systems where the model was implemented. In conclusion, it is seen that the model behaves similar to the actual plants when looking at the electricity production; however, the behaviour of the model is slightly exaggerated with faster changes in the electricity production. Though, the results show that the developed model can be used to enhance the understanding of how CHP plants produce electricity.

The topic of thesis "Support from EU funds for biomass usage in the location of the town of Třeboň" is a analysis of the biomass potential in selected area with a source of energy project. The first part was focused on the importance of renewabla resources of energy and their supporting by EU and Czech Republic. In the second part was presented the analysis of biomass potential, and this part was given the energy project with economic evaluation.

abstract: The combined heat and power (CHP)-based distributed generation (DG) or dis-tributed energy resources (DERs) are mature options available in the present energy mar-ket, considered to be an effective solution to promote energy efficiency. In the urban en-vironment, the electricity, water and natural gas distribution networks are becoming in-creasingly interconnected with the growing penetration of the CHP-based DG. Subse-quently, this emerging interdependence leads to new topics meriting serious consideration: how much of the CHP-based DG can be accommodated and where to locate these DERs, and given preexisting constraints, how to quantify the mutual impacts on operation performances between these urban energy distribution networks and the CHP-based DG. The early research work was conducted to investigate the feasibility and design methods for one residential microgrid system based on existing electricity, water and gas infrastructures of a residential community, mainly focusing on the economic planning. However, this proposed design method cannot determine the optimal DG sizing and sit-ing for a larger test bed with the given information of energy infrastructures. In this con-text, a more systematic as well as generalized approach should be developed to solve these problems. In the later study, the model architecture that integrates urban electricity, water and gas distribution networks, and the CHP-based DG system was developed. The pro-posed approach addressed the challenge of identifying the optimal sizing and siting of the CHP-based DG on these urban energy networks and the mutual impacts on operation per-formances were also quantified. For this study, the overall objective is to maximize the electrical output and recovered thermal output of the CHP-based DG units. The electrici-ty, gas, and water system models were developed individually and coupled by the devel-oped CHP-based DG system model. The resultant integrated system model is used to constrain the DG's electrical output and recovered thermal output, which are affected by multiple factors and thus analyzed in different case studies. The results indicate that the designed typical gas system is capable of supplying sufficient natural gas for the DG normal operation, while the present water system cannot support the complete recovery of the exhaust heat from the DG units. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Electrical Engineering 2013

To alleviate global warming, European-Union member states must reduce primary energy use, emit less carbon dioxide (CO2), and increase renewable energy use. Buildings constitute a great potential for energy savings, but saving energy in district-heated buildings influences combined heat and power (CHP) production, other electricity generation, and global CO2 emissions.   This thesis investigates the system effects from Swedish district heating production caused by district heating demand changes due to energy conservation in buildings. The cost-optimising linear programming modelling tools MODEST and FMS, the latter developed in the context of this thesis, are used to describe present district heating production and to investigate the impact of heat-demand reductions in twelve Swedish district heating systems, four of them representing all Swedish district heating.   Energy savings in district-heated, multi-family residential buildings yield a lower, more seasonally levelled district heating demand. These demand changes mainly reduce use of fossil-fuel and biomass for heat production. CHP production is significantly reduced if it supplies intermediate or peak district heating load. The αsystem value (ratio between generated CHP electricity and produced district heating) increases by demand reductions if CHP mainly supplies base district heating load. CO2 emissions due to district heat production depend on the approach used for CO2 assessment of electricity, and are generally reduced with heat demand reductions, unless the share of CHP production is large and the reduced fuel use yields smaller emission reductions than the emission increase from power production that replaces reduced CHP generation.   In total, heat demand reductions reduce CO2 emissions due to Swedish district heating, and the district heating systems even constitute a carbon sink at certain energy conservation levels. If saved biomass replaces fossil fuels elsewhere, a lower heat demand reduces CO2 emissions for every studied district heating system.

The master’s thesis is focused on project management in Trade Company engaged in export of capital equipment. The Company expanded its offered product portfolio and now is focused to small cogeneration unit market. This work proposed a solution of project management in this new market area. The proposed solution is applied to a specific project of installation of small cogeneration unit.

Energy production in power plants comes with both high costs and turnover whereas variations in the production strategy—that is, which boilers, coolers, or generators that should be running—have big impact on the economic result. This is especially true for a combined heat and power (CHP) plant where the production of district heating and electricity is linked, thus allowing for a higher flexibility in the production strategy and potential of increasing the revenue. Previous research states that thermo-economic optimization can have a great impact on economic result of power plants, but every power plant is operating under a unique set of conditions depending on its location, operating market, load demand, construction, surrounding, and the like, and comparable studies on CHP plants in Sweden are very few. This study aims to fill this research gap by evaluating savings potential of a CHP plant in Lidköping, Sweden by utilizing thermo-economic optimization with the approach of combining actual historical data from the power plant with mass-flow equations and constraints to construct a mathematical MODEST model that is optimized by linear programming. The result demonstrates a clear theoretical potential to improve earnings and the conclusion that the studied CHP would benefit by implementing optimization procedures or software to schedule production. The result was also comparable to previous research but varied over time, which highlights how unique conditions may impact the result.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20374号 / 工博第4311号 / 新制||工||1668(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科電気工学専攻 / (主査)教授 引原 隆士, 教授 山川 宏, 教授 松尾 哲司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Die energetische Nutzung von Biomasse ist ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Reduktion der CO2- Emissionen. Wärmeerzeugung und gekoppelte Wärme- und Stromerzeugung sind dafür die effektivsten Technologien. Dabei spielt die Erzeugung und Nutzung von Brenngasen aus Biomasse eine große Rolle. Die inzwischen weit verbreitete biologische Gaserzeugung produziert sogenanntes Biogas. Die Forschung konzentriert sich hierbei derzeit unter anderem auf Grundlagen für die Optimierung der Betriebsführung. Aber auch mit thermochemischen Verfahren („Vergasung“) wird Brenngas erzeugt. Einer der Forschungsschwerpunkte dabei ist die angemessene Reinigung des Gases von Teeren und Stäuben. Die Brenngase können dann in herkömmlichen, wenn auch angepassten Verbrennungsmotoren im Zusammenhang mit Generatoren zur Stromerzeugung genutzt werden oder nach einem weiteren Umwandlungsschritt als Erdgasersatz Verwendung finden. / The utilisation of biomass as an energy supply is an important contribution to the reduction of greenhouse emissions. Heat supplies and combined heat and power generation are the most effective technologies from an energetic point of view. In most cases, conversion of solid biomass to a gaseous fuel is an important technological step. Gas generation by biological processes (“biogas”) has been increasing rapidly in recent times. Research in this field is concentrated on improving and automating process operation. Gaseous fuel from biomass can also be generated by thermochemical processes (“gasification”). Research is here focussed on the cleaning of tars and dusts from the gas, for example. The gaseous fuels can then be used in adapted internal combustion engines in combination with electricity generators.