Assessment of community energy supply systems using energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analysis

Energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analysis are often used for assessing large energy conversion systems. However exergy and exergoeconomic analysis are rarely used when small or medium scale energy generation systems, such as community CHP/CCHP plants or microcogeneration systems are evaluated.In this study energy, exergy and exergoeconomic analysis of four Community Energy Supply (CES) systems has been carried out. Biomass Steam Turbine CHP (BST), Gas Turbine CHP (GT), Biomass Integrated Gasification Gas Turbine CHP (BIGGT) and Biomass Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle CHP (BIGCC) systems have been modelled. Modelling and energy/exergy analysis have been conducted using the computer programme Cycle-Tempo. Exergoeconomic evaluation of CESS has been performed using the Specific Exergy Costing (SPECO) approach. Exergy costs of the main products: heat and electricity, have been calculated.The analysis shows that gasification of biomass reduces overall system efficiency due to the exergy destruction in the thermo-chemical conversion process when air is used as an oxidizer. A GT using natural gas as a fuel and BIGCC are the most exergy efficient systems in this study with the lowest exergy cost of electricity and heat produced. The exergy cost of electricity generated in BST is the highest.