Thermodynamic model development, experimental validation and performance analysis of a MW CCHP system integrated with dehumidification system

Abstract

Combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems, which have the advantages of energy saving and environmental protection, have attracted more and more attentions. Great deals of works have been done, but most of them are theoretical research. It is still lack of experimental research for large scale CCHP system in practical application, and an overall off-design thermodynamic model is also desired to simulate or exam the system performance. In this work, a novel CCHP system integrated with dehumidification system is proposed for further utilizing waste heat, in which an internal combustion engine (ICE) is used as prime mover, its heat of flue gas and the heat of jacket water above 81 °C are used to drive absorption chiller, and the heat of jacket water below 81 °C is used to drive absorption dehumidifier. A comprehensive off-design thermodynamic model and evaluation of the system is established. The tested results of a MW CCHP system integrated with dehumidification system are used to validate the model, and the thermodynamic performance analysis is also carried out. The thermodynamic performance comparison between the CCHP system integrated with dehumidification system and conventional CCHP system has been done. The results show that: the simulated values are basically in keeping with those experimental results; when the output power of ICE is 1200 kW, the primary energy rate of the MW CCHP system can go up to 84.0%, the primary energy saving ratio achieves 32.77%, and exergy efficiency is 42.45%; the thermodynamic performance of the proposed CCHP system is better than conventional CCHP system.