Title:
Operating Strategies for Natural Gas-Biomass Dual Fuelled Microturbines in the Italian Residential Sector
Author(s):
Pantaleo, A.M., Camporeale, S., Shah, N.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
This paper presents the results of a thermo-economic assessment of small scale (100 kWe) Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants fired by natural gas and solid biomass to serve a residential energy demand, comparing different plant operating strategies. The focus is on dual fuel micro gas turbine (MGT) cycle, where compressed air is heated in the high temperature heat exchanger (HTHE) using the hot gases produced in a biomass furnace, before entering the gas combustion chamber. The hot air expands in the turbine and then feeds the internal pre-heater recuperator, while the biomass combustion flue gases are used for combustion air pre-heating. Various biomass/natural gas energy input ratios are modelled, in order to assess the trade-offs between: (i) lower energy conversion efficiency and higher investment cost when increasing the biomass input rate; (ii) higher primary energy savings and revenues from feed-in tariff available for biomass electricity fed into the grid. The strategies of baseload (BL), heat driven (HD) and electricity driven (ED) plant operation are compared, for an aggregate of residential end-users in cold, average and mild climate conditions. On the basis of the results from thermodynamic assessment, including partial load operation (carried out by Gate Cycle,) CAPEX and OPEX assessment, and Italian energy policy scenario (incentives available for biomass electricity, on-site and high efficiency CHP), the maximum global energy efficiency, primary energy savings and investment profitability is found, as a function of biomass/natural gas ratio, plant operating strategy and energy demand typology.
Keywords:
biomass, co-firing, microturbine, cofiring, small-scale CHP, EFGT, operating strategies
Topic:
R&D on Biomass Conversion Technologies for Heating, Electricity and Chemicals
Subtopic:
Solid biofuel combustion for small and medium scale applications
Event:
21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
2DV.3.5
Pages:
1075 - 1086
ISBN:
978-88-89407-53-0
Paper DOI:
10.5071/21stEUBCE2013-2DV.3.5
Price:
FREE
