Performance analysis of an innovative small-scale trigeneration plant with liquid desiccant cooling system

The paper deals with an innovative natural gas combined heat, cooling and power (CHCP) system with electrical, heating and cooling capacities of 126/220/210 kW, respectively. The trigeneration plant is composed of a cogenerator which uses an automotive derived gas fired internal combustion engine (ICE), coupled to a liquid LiCl–water desiccant cooling system which recovers heat from the flue gases and from the ICE cooling water. The paper describes the energetic and economic analyses of the plant and it makes some evaluations of the effects of fuel and electric prices and of the subsides and plant costs on the economic indices of the system.