Trigeneration Technologies
www.Trigeneration.com

Trigeneration Engineering and Trigeneration Project Development

 

info@Trigeneration.com




Trigeneration Technologies
www.Trigeneration.com

_______________________________________________________

What is Trigeneration?

Trigeneration is the simultaneous production of three forms of energy - typically, Cooling, Heating and Power - from only one fuel input. Put another way, our trigeneration power plants produce three different types of energy for the price of one.

Trigeneration energy systems now exceed the efficiency of central power plants by almost 300% as overall trigeneration system efficiency is about 90%.  Typical "central" power plants, that do not need the heat generated from the combustion and power generation process, are only about 33% efficient.

Basically, a trigeneration power plant is a cogeneration power plant that has added absorption chillers for producing chilled water from the heat that would have been wasted from a cogeneration power plant. 

In addition to the economic benefits and advantages, trigeneration plants reduce our dependence on foreign energy supplies and help our environment by dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide - when compared to typical power plants.

Trigeneration has been hailed the "hat-trick of the energy industry" with system efficiencies approaching and exceeding 90%.

 Trigeneration plants are very energy efficient, conserve natural resources and reduce fuel consumption as the system operates at such high efficiencies.

Cogeneration and trigeneration power plants are about 90% efficient and approximately 300% more efficient than "central power plants" that average 27% to 40% efficiency.  When fueled with renewable fuel, cogeneration and trigeneration plants are carbon neutral, producing no greenhouse gas emissions and the optimum solution for clients seeking to reduce their energy expenses and greenhouse gas emissions.

Our company or its' affiliated companies also provide engineering, legal, finance, power purchase agreements, energy service agreements and greenhouse gas emissions consulting services for clients whose projects are located in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean and Central/South America.


Trigeneration Diagram & Description
Trigeneration Power Plants' Have the Highest System Efficiencies and are 
About 300 % More Efficient than Typical Central Power Plants

_______________________________________________________

Running on "green fuel" such as Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, Synthesis Gas or natural gas, our CHP Systems are the greenest "clean power generation" systems available.

Our clean power generation systems are a superior "micro-grid" and demand side management solution for data centers, hospitals, universities, municipal utility districts and new real estate developments/subdivisions seeking "net zero energy" solutions. 

With Natural Gas prices now running well below $3.00/mmbtu, and more recently in March 2012, below $2.40/mmbtu, our Clean Power Generation plants generate  power for a fuel cost at about $0.03/kWh.  With operations & maintenance added in - we generate power for less than a nickel or $0.05/kWh - or, anywhere from 50% to 75% less than your present electric rates.

We also provide energy independence from the "dirty" power grid with its high unreliability, black-outs and sky-rocketing electric power prices.  


Our "Integrated" CHP Systems (Cogeneration and Trigeneration) Plants 
Have Very  High Efficiencies, Low Fuel Costs & Low Emissions

The Effective Heat Rate is Approximately 
4100 btu/kW & System Efficiency is 92% Plant

The CHP System below is Rated at 900 kW and Features:
(2) Natural Gas Engines @ 450 kW each on one Skid with Optional 
Selective Catalytic Reduction system that removes Nitrogen Oxides to "non-detect."

    


Our CHP Systems may be the best solution for your company's economic and environmental sustainability as we "upgrade" natural gas to clean power with our clean power generation solutions.

Our Emissions Abatement solutions reduce Nitrogen Oxides to "non-detect" which means our Trigeneration energy systems can be installed and operated in most EPA non-attainment regions!






_______________________________________________________

 




 



 

 


GreatSkin.com

______________________________________________________

Trigeneration plants are installed at locations that can benefit from all three forms of energy.  These types of installations that install trigeneration energy systems are called "onsite power generation" also referred to as "decentralized energy."   

One of our company's principal's first experience with the design and development of a trigeneration power plant was the trigeneration power plant installation at Rice University in 1987 where our trigeneration development team started out by conducting a "cogeneration" feasibility study.  The EPC contractor that Rice University selected installed the trigeneration power which included a 4.0 MW Ruston gas turbine power plant, along with waste heat recovery boilers and Absorption Chillers.  A "waste heat recovery boiler" captures the heat from the exhaust of the gas turbine.  From there, the recovered energy was converted to chilled water - originally from (3) Hitachi Absorption Chillers - 2 were rated at 1,000 tons each, and the third Hitachi Absorption Chiller was rated at 1,500 tons. The Hitachi Absorption Chillers were replaced shortly after their installation by the EPC company.  The first trigeneration plant at Rice University was so successful, they added a second 5.0 MW trigeneration plant so today, Rice University is now generating about 9.0 MW of electricity, and also producing the cooling and heating the university needs from the trigeneration plant and circulating the trigeneration energy around its campus.




Trigeneration Chart
Trigeneration's "Super-Efficiency" compared 
with other competing technologies
As you can see, there is No Competition for Trigeneration!


 Our cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems are "custom" designed and engineered for each of our new client's businesses and facilities.  Our cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems are an ideal energy solution for many businesses, including;  Data Centers, Hospitals, Universities, Airports, Central Plants, Colleges & Universities, Dairies, Server Farms, District Heating & Cooling Plants, Food Processing Plants, Golf/Country Clubs, Government Buildings, Grocery Stores, Hotels, Manufacturing Plants, Nursing Homes, Office Buildings / Campuses, Radio Stations, Refrigerated Warehouses, Resorts, Restaurants, Schools, Server Farms, Shopping Centers, Supermarkets, Television Stations, Theatres and Military Bases.

At about 86% to 93% net system efficiency, our cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems are about 300% more efficient at providing energy than your current electric utility. That's because the typical electric utility's "central power plants" are only about 33% efficient - they waste 2/3 of the fuel in generating electricity in the enormous amount of waste heat energy that they exhaust through their smokestacks.

Trigeneration is defined as the simultaneous production of three energies: Cooling, Heating and Power.  Our trigeneration energy systems use the same amount of fuel in producing three energies that would normally only produce just one type of energy. This means our customers that have our trigeneration power plants have significantly lower energy expenses, and a lower carbon footprint.

Our cogeneration and trigeneration energy systems can be an ideal solution for customers wanting increased power reliability and decreased energy and environmental costs.  A few of the types of businesses, facilities and operations that might benefit from our cogeneration and trigeneration energy system(s) include the following:

____________________________________________________

About us:

We provide trigeneration engineering and project development services including turnkey trigeneration plant development from trigeneration design and project feasibility through commissioning, including;

and other engineering and project development services.

Our work is performed on a strict adherence to "vendor-neutrality." We are client and project focused and seek to maximize our client's return on their investment while simultaneously minimizing their operational expenses and environmental exposure. 

(NOTE: Engineering and related interim project development expenses may be at client's expense but will be refunded 
at the close of Power Purchase Agreement or other project financing. Some of our engineering and EPC services 
may be provided by one of our Top-ranked ENR Engineering Procurement Construction partner companies.)

To receive a preliminary no-obligation review of your energy, engineering or project plans, 
send an introductory email to us at the following email address:

info@Trigeneration.com

____________________________________________________

What is "Cogeneration"?

Did you know that 10% of our nation's electricity now comes from "cogeneration" plants?

And because cogeneration is so efficient, it saves its customers up to 40% on their energy expenses, and provides even greater savings to our environment through significant reductions in fuel usage and much lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Cogeneration - also known as “combined heat and power” (CHP), cogen, district energy, total energy, and combined cycle, is the simultaneous production of heat (usually in the form of hot water and/or steam) and power, utilizing one primary fuel such as natural gas, or a renewable fuel, such as Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, or Synthesis Gas.

Cogeneration technology is not the latest industry buzz-word being touted as the solution to our nation's energy woes. Cogeneration is a proven technology that has been around for over 120 years!

Our nation's first commercial power plant was a cogeneration plant that was designed and built by Thomas Edison in 1882 in New York. Our nation's first commercial power plant was called the "Pearl Street Station."

______________________________________________________

What is an Energy Master Plan?

Now that greenhouse gas reporting is a vital and urgent issue for thousands of business in the U.S., and as they will now have to report their greenhouse gas emissions to the EPA, our Energy Master Plan format has been changed to address these concerns for all of the businesses we perform energy master planning services for.

Our energy master planning services are also focused in a broader focus as well for our customers interested in sustainable energy solutions for reducing their carbon footprint, fossil fuel intensity, total energy expenses, potential for blackouts as well as their overall vulnerabilities to being "tied" to their specific electric utility.  Our energy master planning services also improve the air quality and work environment for all of our client's stakeholders through our focus on triple bottom-line results. 

Our energy master planning services are not solely focused on our client's facilities' "demand side" of the energy equation, but also how our client's energy is acquired and purchased on their supply side.  This understanding that supply and demand side planning is equally important enabled a holistic review of how CUMC uses and pays for energy and the impact of these sources on the environment. 

Our energy master plan begins with a review of our client's past three years electricity, natural gas, oil, waste and water expenditures and depending on the final requirements and project scope authorized by the client, will typically include; 

______________________________________________________

Waste Heat Recovery in Cogeneration and 
Trigeneration power and energy systems

In most cogeneration and trigeneration power and energy systems, the exhaust gas from the electric generation equipment is ducted to a heat exchanger to recover the thermal energy in the gas. These heat exchangers are air-to-water heat exchangers, where the exhaust gas flows over some form of tube and fin heat exchange surface and the heat from the exhaust gas is transferred to make hot water or steam. The hot water or steam is then used to provide hot water or steam heating and/or to operate thermally activated equipment, such as an absorption chiller for cooling or a desiccant dehumidifer for dehumidification.

Many of the waste heat recovery technologies used in building either cogeneration or trigeneration systems require hot water, some at moderate pressures of 15 to 150 psig. In the cases where additional steam or pressurized hot water is needed, it may be necessary to provide supplemental heat to the exhaust gas with a duct burner.

In some applications air-to-air heat exchangers can be used. In other instances, if the emissions from the generation equipment are low enough, such as is with many of the microturbine technologies, the hot exhaust gases can be mixed with make-up air and vented directly into the heating system for building heating.

In the majority of installations, a flapper damper or "diverter" is employed to vary flow across the heat transfer surfaces of the heat exchanger to maintain a specific design temperature of the hot water or steam generation rate.


Typical Waste Heat Recovery Installation


In some cogeneration and trigeneration designs, the waste heat exhaust gases can be used to activate a thermal wheel or a desiccant dehumidifier. Thermal wheels use the exhaust gas to heat a wheel with a medium that absorbs the heat and then transfers the heat when the wheel is rotated into the incoming airflow.

A professional engineer should be involved in designing and sizing of the waste heat recovery section. For a proper and economical operation, the design of the heat recovery section involves consideration of many related factors, such as the thermal capacity of the exhaust gases, the exhaust flow rate, the sizing and type of heat exchanger, and the desired parameters over a various range of operating conditions of the cogeneration or trigeneration system — all of which need to be considered for proper and economical operation.

The Market and Potential for Waste Heat Recovery technologies and solutions

There are more than 500,000 smokestacks in the U.S. that are "wasting" heat, an untapped resource that can be converted to energy with Waste Heat Recovery technologies.

About 10% of these 500,000 smokestacks represent about 75% of the available wasted heat which has a stack gas exit temperature above 500 degrees F. which could generate approximately 50,000 megawatts of electricity annually and an annual market of over $75 billion in gross revenues before tax incentives and greenhouse gas emissions credits.

Waste Heat Recovery technologies represent the least cost solution which provides the greatest return on investment, than any other possible green energy technology or "carbon free energy" opportunity!

______________________________________________________

The Advantages of Cogeneration and Trigeneration

By: Monty Goodell, MBA

Owners of commercial buildings and commercial businesses are increasingly seeking ways to use energy more efficiently. This is a direct result of dramatically increasing electric rates, decreased power reliability (blackouts, brownouts, rolling blackouts, and other power interruptions), as well as competitive and economic pressures to cut expenses, increase air quality, and reduce emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol, while not ratified in the United States, continues to be a major driver in much of the rest of the world. In the United States, "ecogeneration" is becoming a preferred method to produce a company’s or facility’s power and energy requirements.

Ecogeneration defines the optimization of economic and ecological benefits in the power generation process. Ecogeneration produces huge savings for our environment through the reduction, or even elimination, of pollution associated with power and energy production. Additionally, ecogeneration appeals to our customers’ economic bottom line by providing them with significant fuel and electrical savings.

Energy technologies that fall under ecogeneration include: wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen fuel, hydrogen fuel cells, soybean diesel fuels, ocean/tidal power, waste to energy/waste to fuel and waste to watts, combined cycle, district energy, cogeneration, trigeneration, and even quadgeneration power plants.

There are two major ecogeneration initiatives and technologies that we will discuss in this article — cogeneration and the newer technology, trigeneration. Trigeneration is one of the most attractive options, and is even more efficient and economically rewarding than its cousin, cogeneration.

Cogeneration, also known as combined heat and power (CHP), is the simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat, usually in the form of either hot water or steam, from one primary fuel, such as natural gas. While not necessarily defined correctly, cogeneration has also been referred to as district energy, total energy, combined cycle, and simply cogen.

Cogeneration has been mostly a technology used in the utilities and industrial marketplace.

Trigeneration, as the name implies, refers to three energies, and is defined as the simultaneous production of heat and power, just like cogeneration, except trigeneration takes cogeneration one step further by also producing chilled water for air conditioning or process use with the addition of absorption or adsorption chillers. Trigeneration, also referred to as CHCP (combined heating, cooling and power), BCHP (building cooling, heating and power) and integrated energy systems, permits even greater operational flexibility at businesses with demand for energy in the form of heating and cooling. Just as a cogeneration power plant captures and makes use of the waste heat, absorption or adsorption chillers capture the waste (or rejected) heat and produce chilled water.

Trigeneration systems are found in commercial applications typically where there is a need for air conditioning or chilled water by the customer.

When a trigeneration power system is installed on-site, that is, where the electrical and thermal energy is needed by the customer so that the electrical energy does not have to be transported hundreds of miles away, and the thermal energy is fully utilized, system efficiencies can reach and surpass 90 percent.

How Trigeneration Works:  The Trigeneration Process


On-site trigeneration plants are much more efficient, economically sound, and environmentally friendly than typical central power plants. Because of this, customers’ energy expenses are significantly lower, and the associated pollution is also much less than if the customer had an energy system supplied with electricity from the grid, along with water heaters and boiler systems on-site. Trigeneration's superior efficiencies surpass even the latest state-of-the-art combined cycle cogeneration power plants by up to 50 percent. Coupled with a four-pipe system, hot water/steam and chilled water can be produced simultaneously for circulation throughout the building or campus (which would be referred to as a district energy system).

And size is not an impediment, since trigeneration systems can be installed, for example, in small commercial settings, such as restaurants, hotels, schools, office buildings, and shopping centers, to large applications such as petrochemical plants, refineries, and in a city's downtown area, providing the energy requirements for multiple buildings. And it will still provide system efficiencies of 90 percent.


History Of Cogeneration Technology

Many people know that Thomas Edison built the first commercial power plant. However, most people do not know that Edison's first commercial power plant known as the "Pearl Street Station," built in 1882 in Lower Manhattan, New York, was also a cogeneration power plant!

Because cogeneration and trigeneration continue to be the most efficient method of generating electrical and thermal energy, in terms of energy output, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has called for the doubling of electrical power generated from cogeneration power plants — from the existing 46 GW (one gigawatt = 1,000 MW) to 92 GW by the year 2010. When this goal is reached, cogeneration will represent about 14 percent of the total U.S. generating capacity of electricity. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) estimates that an additional 95 GW of cogeneration capacity could be added between 2010-2020, resulting in 29 percent of total U.S. electric power generation being produced through cogeneration. Europe is also dramatically increasing the number of cogeneration power plants over the next decade.

And the historical basis and success of cogeneration has been the foundational basis for expanding the efficiencies of cogeneration to trigeneration and even quadgeneration, with each new increase in energies recovered resulting in higher efficiencies and lower fuel/energy costs and fewer related emissions.


President Bush's National Energy Plan

In the United States, President George W. Bush's National Energy Plan recognizes the efficiency of cogeneration technologies — and it plays an important role in meeting national energy objectives and maintaining comfort and safety in commercial and office buildings. Released in May 2001, the president's National Energy Plan states:

A family of technologies known as combined heat and power (CHP) can achieve efficiencies of 80 percent or more. In addition to environmental benefits, cogeneration projects offer efficiency and cost savings in a variety of settings, including industrial boilers, energy systems, and small building scale applications. At industrial facilities alone, there is potential for an additional 124,000 MW of efficient power from gas-fired cogeneration, which could result in annual emissions reductions of 614,000 tons of NOx emissions and 44 million tons of carbon equivalent. Cogeneration is also one of a group of clean, highly reliable, distributed energy technologies that reduce the amount of electricity lost in transmission while eliminating the need to construct expensive power lines to transmit power from large central power plants.

Since the 1930s approximately two-thirds of all the fuel used to make electricity in the U.S. is generally wasted by central power plants in the form of unused thermal energy in the electrical generation process. While there have been impressive energy efficiency gains in other sectors of the economy since the oil price shocks of the 1970s, the average efficiency of power generation in this country has remained around 27 to 35 percent for nearly 70 years. The use of cogeneration and trigeneration can significantly improve that efficiency.

Pollution Associated With Inefficient Power Plants

Currently, power plants in the U.S. have been cited for producing two-thirds of its annual sulphur dioxide emissions, one-quarter of the nitrogen oxide emissions, one-third of mercury emissions, and one-third of carbon dioxide emissions. These resulting pollutants produce serious environmental and health consequences, including:

"Curing" the problems associated with inefficient electrical power generation begins with pollution prevention. The choices are clear — we must stop wasting energy and start increasing the efficiency of power generation facilities. Instead of building inefficient, wasteful, pollution-generating central power plants owned by utility companies, where the thermal energy is wasted, we need to start building efficient, on-site power plants where the heat energy can be utilized. These on-site cogeneration, trigeneration, and quadgeneration power and energy systems are also referred to as "distributed generation" or "distributed energy" technologies. They can be installed easily and affordably, and they operate economically throughout their life cycle.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) understands that resolving these problems must start with pollution prevention, which equates to using fewer energy resources to produce goods and services. The National Energy Plan includes four specific recommendations to promote CHP, three of which were directed to EPA for action:

As a follow-up to those recommendations, EPA joined with 18 Fortune 500 companies, city and state governments, and nonprofit organizations in February 2002 in Washington, DC, to announce the EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership (CHPP). The CHPP aims to advance CHP as a more efficient, clean, and reliable alternative to conventional electricity generation. This initiative now boasts nearly 50 partners, including state and local regulators, end users, project developers, and equipment suppliers.

Clean On-Site Power For Commercial And Industrial Customers

Distributed generation locates smaller and more efficient power plants where the power and thermal energy is actually needed. These on-site power systems are also called "inside the fence" power systems and are designed and engineered to maximize the customer's power and energy requirements.

The DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently sponsored a study to estimate the potential of cogeneration installations in the U.S. According to their study, there are 1,431,805 buildings in the United States that are suitable for on-site cogeneration power systems (most of these are actually better suited for trigeneration) requiring a capacity of 77,281 MW. At an average of $1 million per MW, this translates into a $77,281,000,000 market opportunity. That's over $77 billion in the U.S. alone. Trigeneration would be an even greater market opportunity as this study focused on applications where thermal energy load was in the form of steam or hot water, and does not take into consideration use of thermal technologies, such as absorption/adsorption chillers or desiccant dehumidification, as part of the potential for the building's thermal load.

When absorption/adsorption chillers are added to a cogeneration system, it is now referred to as a trigeneration system. Therefore, the total market potential in the study could be significantly higher than the 77,281 MW when considering the opportunity for trigeneration applications. The study also estimates the total existing capacity of cogeneration installations in the U.S. to be only about 4,930 MW, and that over 70 percent of the existing facilities are under 1 MW and are powered by small reciprocating engines.

Even quadgeneration is a possibility, taking trigeneration one further step, producing four energies from one process. By extracting most, if not all, of the available heat from the power/energy generation process, end users obtain the most efficient, optimized energy system. But the efficiency gains are wasted if the recovered waste heat is not put to work or the existing boilers or water heaters displaced, reduced, or eliminate entirely. This is why it is absolutely critical that a thorough and complete feasibility study is done to determine a properly sized on-site energy system, and that conventional systems are either eliminated, compensated for, or integrated into the new energy system.

It should go without saying, but if the facility that installs a trigeneration system does not replace or reduce other systems, there can be a net loss of efficiency. If the facility does not offset the net efficiency gains of the new trigeneration system by reducing, displacing, or eliminating the existing water heaters/boilers load, then the facility will not have an optimized installation and therefore will not profit to the extent it could have had the feasibility and design studies been properly conducted.

Trigeneration Takes Lead Over Cogeneration Due To Superior Efficiency

A trigeneration system consists of a cogeneration plant, and either absorption or adsorption chillers that produce chilled water by making use of some of the waste heat recovered from the cogeneration power plant.

Schematic presentation of a gas turbine-based trigeneration facility


While cooling can be provided by electric-driven compression chillers, low quality heat (i.e., low temperature, low pressure) that is not used by the cogeneration power plant can be used to drive the absorption or adsorption chillers so that the overall primary energy consumption is reduced.

Trigeneration power plants with absorption and/or adsorption chillers have gained acceptance due to their capability of not only integrating with cogeneration systems but also because they can operate with industrial waste heat streams that can be fairly substantial. The benefit of power generation with absorption or adsorption cooling can be realized through the following example that compares it with a power generation system with conventional electric-driven compression systems.

Assume in this example a factory needs 1 MW of electricity and 500 refrigeration tons (RT). (Defintion: A refrigeration ton or RT is defined as the transfer of heat at the rate of 3.52 kW, which is roughly the rate of cooling obtained by melting ice at the rate of one ton per day.)

Let us first consider the gas turbine that generates electricity required for the processes as well as the conventional electric-driven compression chiller. With an electricity demand of 0.65 kW/RT, the compression chiller needs 325 kW of electricity to obtain 500 RT of cooling. Therefore, a total of 1,325 kW of electricity must be provided to this factory. If the gas turbine has an efficiency of 30 percent, primary energy consumption would be 4,417 kW.

However, a trigeneration system with absorption or adsorption chillers can provide the same energy service (power and cooling) by consuming only 3,333 kW of primary energy.

In this example, the trigeneration power plant saves about 24.54 percent of the primary energy needed compared to the cogeneration power plant with electric-driven compression chillers. Since many industries and commercial buildings can use combined power and heating/cooling, trigeneration systems have a high potential for industrial and commercial applications. (The above example is courtesy of ASHRAE.)

Trigeneration, when compared to combined-cycle cogeneration, can be up to 50 percent more efficient, further reducing operating costs, fuel expenses, and environmental pollutants.

Trigeneration systems for commercial buildings are very profitable investments for building owners. A new trigeneration system can pay for itself in as little as two years, depending on local electric rates, natural gas (or other fuel) costs, and the load profile of the building. Trigeneration systems help not only the building owner, but also benefit society in a number of ways, including:

The on-site trigeneration system can be economically attractive for many types of buildings, including, but not limited to, the following:


Facilities with trigeneration systems use them to produce their own electricity, and use the unused excess (waste) heat for water heating, space heating, air conditioning, process steam, and other thermal needs.

Improved Power Reliability

Economic losses due to power outages in the U.S. have cost American businesses billions of dollars. The following table shows the economic impact of power outages on some industries.

 

Optional SCR System Reduces Nitrogen Oxides To "Non-Detect"
Without Ammonia or Urea

Small footprint Trigeneration Plants measurements are: 15' wide by 15'
in height by and 55' in length

 We will NOT use the following engines or turbines:

Microturbines
Daewoo engines
Kawasaki turbines

in ANY of our cogeneration or trigeneration power plants.

Our territory includes the U.S.A., Canada, the Caribbean
and Central America.

We can package any combination of standard size plants to come up with your optimum size system. Our standard and customized CHP Systems, Cogeneration and Trigeneration plants use the leading brands of reciprocating engines or turbines and include our proprietary Waste Heat Recovery technologies that help us achieve system efficiencies greater than 90% and effective heat rates as low as 4050 btu's/kW. We provide both standard and customized Trigeneration plants that meet our customer's most stringent economic and environmental requirements.

Our Power Plants can run on renewable fuels for even greater environmental and economic savings! These fuels or energy sources include: Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, Synthesis Gas and natural gas. 

Net system efficiencies of our Trigeneration power plants are now exceeding 90% with up to 95% lower emissions when using Biomethane, B100 Biodiesel, Synthesis Gas and natural gas as the fuel for Trigeneration power plants.

For pricing and delivery information on our Cogeneration, Trigeneration, Biomethane or B100 Biodiesel power plants, call/email us or send an email with your project's requirements to: info@trigeneration.com

___________________________________________________

Absorption Chillers & Adsorption Chillers


What Absorption Chillers and How Does They Work?

Absorption chillers use heat instead of mechanical energy to provide cooling. A thermal compressor consists of an absorber, a generator, a pump, and a throttling device, and replaces the mechanical vapor compressor.

 

In the chiller, refrigerant vapor from the evaporator is absorbed by a solution mixture in the absorber. This solution is then pumped to the generator. There the refrigerant re-vaporizes using a waste steam heat source. The refrigerant-depleted solution then returns to the absorber via a throttling device. The two most common refrigerant/ absorbent mixtures used in absorption chillers are water/lithium bromide and ammonia/water.

Compared with mechanical chillers, absorption chillers have a low coefficient of performance (COP = chiller load/heat input). However, absorption chillers can substantially reduce operating costs because they are powered by low-grade waste heat. Vapor compression chillers, by contrast, must be motor- or engine-driven.

Low-pressure, steam-driven absorption chillers are available in capacities ranging from 100 to 1,500 tons. Absorption chillers come in two commercially available designs: single-effect and double-effect. Single-effect machines provide a thermal COP of 0.7 and require about 18 pounds of 15-pound-per-square-inch-gauge (psig) steam per ton-hour of cooling. Double-effect machines are about 40% more efficient, but require a higher grade of thermal input, using about 10 pounds of 100- to 150-psig steam per ton-hour.

In single-effect absorption chillers, all condensing heat cools and condenses in the condenser. From there it is released to the cooling water. A double-effect machine adopts a higher heat efficiency of condensation and divides the generator into a high-temperature and a low-temperature generator.

 


Actions You Can Take


Determine the cost-effectiveness of displacing a portion of your cooling load with a waste steam absorption chiller by taking the following steps:


Absorption Chillers Refrigeration Cycle

The basic cooling cycle is the same for the absorption and electric chillers. Both systems use a low-temperature liquid refrigerant that absorbs heat from the water to be cooled and converts to a vapor phase (in the evaporator section). The refrigerant vapors are then compressed to a higher pressure (by a compressor or a generator), converted back into a liquid by rejecting heat to the external surroundings (in the condenser section), and then expanded to a low- pressure mixture of liquid and vapor (in the expander section) that goes back to the evaporator section and the cycle is repeated.

The basic difference between the electric chillers and absorption chillers is that an electric chiller uses an electric motor for operating a compressor used for raising the pressure of refrigerant vapors and absorption chillers use the heat for compressing refrigerant vapors to a high-pressure. The rejected heat from the power-generation equipment (e.g. turbines, microturbines, and engines) may be used with an absorption chiller to provide the cooling in a CHP system.

The basic absorption cycle employs two fluids, the absorbate or refrigerant, and the absorbent. The most commonly fluids are water as the refrigerant and lithium bromide as the absorbent. These fluids are separated and recombined in the absorption cycle. In the absorption cycle the low-pressure refrigerant vapor is absorbed into the absorbent releasing a large amount of heat. The liquid refrigerant/absorbent solution is pumped to a high-operating pressure generator using significantly less electricity than that for compressing the refrigerant for an electric chiller. Heat is added at the high-pressure generator from a gas burner, steam, hot water or hot gases. The added heat causes the refrigerant to desorb from the absorbent and vaporize. The vapors flow to a condenser, where heat is rejected and condense to a high-pressure liquid. The liquid is then throttled though an expansion valve to the lower pressure in the evaporator where it evaporates by absorbing heat and provides useful cooling. The remaining liquid absorbent, in the generator passes through a valve, where its pressure is reduced, and then is recombined with the low-pressure refrigerant vapors returning from the evaporator so the cycle can be repeated.

Absorption chillers are used to generate cold water (44°F) that is circulated to air handlers in the distribution system for air conditioning.

"Indirect-fired" absorption chillers use steam, hot water or hot gases steam from a boiler, turbine or engine generator, or fuel cell as their primary power input. Theses chillers can be well suited for integration into a CHP system for buildings by utilizing the rejected heat from the electric generation process, thereby providing high operating efficiencies through use of otherwise wasted energy.

"Direct-fired" systems contain natural gas burners; rejected heat from these chillers can be used to regenerate desiccant dehumidifiers or provide hot water.

Commercially, absorption chillers can be single-effect or multiple-effect. The above schematic refers to a single-effect absorption chiller. Multiple-effect absorption chillers are more efficient and discussed below.

Multiple-Effect Absorption Chillers

In single-effect absorption chillers, the heat released during the chemical process of absorbing refrigerant vapor into the liquid stream, rich in absorbent, is rejected to the environment. In a multiple-effect absorption chiller, some of this energy is used as the driving force to generate more refrigerant vapor. The more vapor generated per unit of heat or fuel input, the greater the cooling capacity and the higher the overall operating efficiency.

Double-effect absorption chillers uses two generators paired with a single condenser, absorber, and evaporator. It requires a higher temperature heat input to operate and therefore they are limited in the type of electrical generation equipment they can be paired with when used in a CHP System.

Triple-effect absorption chillers can achieve even higher efficiencies than the double-effect chillers. These absorption chillers require still higher elevated operating temperatures that can limit choices in materials and refrigerant/absorbent pairs. Triple-effect chillers are under development by manufacturers working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy.

___________________________________________________