| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1734233 | Energy | 2011 | 9 Pages |
Fossil fuels such as coal still dominate in current energy production plants. However, due to their large carbon footprint caused by combustion, rising prices and the unclear an increased interest in renewable and alternative fuels is observable. By 2020, renewable energy should account for 20% of the EU’s final energy consumption in order to reduce the negative impacts of the utilization of fossil fuels. Biomass-based fuels contribute to this effort.The optimization approach introduced in this article supports sustainable and financially feasible biomass integration into the existing large energy producing system with combined heat and power (CHP) production. The objective is to identify optimal conditions (optimal amount of burned fuels with respect to energy demands and energy flows through key components) with regard to maximum annual financial profit.The general mathematical model of a CHP plant utilizing more types of fuels is introduced and an optimization problem is formulated. The approach application is demonstrated on a case study involving existing CHP plant co-firing coal and biomass. The optimization problem is implemented and solved in GAMS (General Algebraic Modeling System). A sensitivity analysis of crucial parameters is performed and the results are presented and discussed.
► This paper is focused on optimal operation plan of CHP plant co-firing coal and biomass providing maximum annual profit. ► Basic general optimization model of existing CHP plant utilizing more fuel types is proposed. ► Application of the model is demonstrated on case study involving real CHP plant.
