Combined Heating, Cooling & Power Handbook

Book excerpt: Many of the economic road blocks which have previously served to discourage the implementation of alternative power generation technologies can now be readily overcome through effective energy resource optimization. It is now a fact that solid financial returns can be achieved from combined heating, cooling and power generation projects by integrating energy and cost efficiency goals, and seeking a match between power production and heating/cooling requirements. This book is intended to serve as a road map to those seeking to realize optimum economic returns on such projects. The first section provides an introduction to basic heat and power thermodynamics, with an overview of heat and power generation technologies and equipment. The second section explores the infrastructure in which the project must be implemented, including environmental considerations, as well as utility rate structures. The third section provides detailed coverage of a broad range of technology types, and discusses how opportunities for their application can be identified and successfully exploited. The final section takes you through each step of project development, implementation and operation. Numerous examples are provided of actual field applications, with supporting documentation of system layouts and performance. The text is supplemented with more than one thousand graphics, including photos, cutaway drawings, layout schematics, performance curves, and data tables.