distribution losses, improving the overall
performance of the electricity transmission and
CO- GENERATION
AJAY KUMAR ROY
DR. SUDHA BANSAL, PROF
NIET, GR. NOIDA
Abstract: The main objective of this technical paper
on co-generation, combined heat and power brings
about the need of the co-generation to meet the
present demand of electricity. It also bridges the gap
between supply and ever increasing demand of
electrical energy and becoming self reliant in terms of
captive electrical power rather depends on the state
grids. It also talks about the co-generation technology,
benefits, applications and potential beneficiaries for
the amateurs who are keen to implement this
technology to meet their needs and serves nation as a
whole by reducing the load on grids and reduction of
CO2 emissions to protect the environment. It is
followed by case study of 1 MW tri-generation
reciprocating natural gas based engine, which includes
scenario and costs before and after installation. Our
experience and benefits from this co-generation
system is also included along with our
comments/suggestions to potential aspirers
KEYWORDS: cogeneration, heat recovery,
power, process heat, CHP, steam turbine, gas
turbine
1.Introduction
Cogeneration through combined heat and power
(CHP) is the simultaneous production of electricity
with the recovery and
utilisation heat. Cogeneration is a highly efficient form
of energy conversion and it can achieve primary
energy savings of
approximately 40% by compared to the separate
purchase of electricity from the national electricity
grid and a gas boiler for onsite
heating.
Combined heat and power plants are typically
embedded close to the end user and therefore help
reduce transportation and
distribution network
For power users where security of supply is an
important factor for their selection of power
production equipment and gas is
abundant, gas-based cogeneration systems are
ideally suited as captive power plants (i.e. power
plants located at site of use).
In the past and certainly prior to 1960, most
cogeneration applications were developed based
on steam turbine cogeneration systems consisting
of conventional fossil-fired boiler(s) in addition to
an industrial type steam turbine and/or
combinations of industrial type steam turbines.
More recent factors have made gas turbine and
engine based solutions highly desirable, including
• Potential economic benefits resulting from
higher power-to-heat ratios
• Rising fuel costs
• Operational flexibility
• Emerging environmental policies and incentives
• Increased focus and need for power security
• Availability of a wide range of system integration
options coupled with attractive cogeneration
system performance levels
2 NEED OF COGENERATION
Thermal power plants are major sources of electricity
supply in India. The conventional method of power
generation and supply to the customer is wasteful in
the sense that only about a third of the primary energy
fed into the power plant is actually made to available
to the user in the form of electricity (Figure 1). In
conventional power plant, efficiency is only 33% and
remaining 65% of energy is lost. The major loss in the
conversion process is the heat rejected to surrounding
water or air due to the inherent constraints of the
different thermodynamic cycles employed in power
generation. Also of further losses of around 10-15%
are associated with the transmission and distribution
of electricity in the electrical grid. Through the
utilization of the heat, the efficiency of the co-
generation plant can reach 90% or more. In addition,
the electricity generated by the co-generation plant is
normally used locally, and then transmission and
distribution losses will be negligible. Co-generation
therefore offers energy savings ranging between 15-
40% when compared against the supply of electricity
and heat from the power stations and boilers.

3. TYPES OF COGENERATION
There are basically three types of co-generation system
3.1 STEAM TURBINE COGENERATION
SYSTEM
The two types of steam turbines most widely used are
the backpressure and the extraction Another variation
of the steam turbine topping cycle cogeneration
system is the extraction-back pressure turbine that
can be employed where the end-user needs thermal
energy at two different temperature levels. The full-
condensing steam turbines are usually incorporated at
sites where heat rejected from the process is used to
generate power. The specific advantage of using
steam turbines in comparison with the other prime
movers is the option for using a wide variety of
conventional as well as alternative fuels such as coal,
natural gas, fuel oil and biomass. The power
generation efficiency of the demand for electricity is
greater than one MW up to a few hundreds of MW.
Due to the system inertia, their operation is not
suitable for sites with intermittent energy demand.
3.2 GAS TURBINE COGENERATION
SYSTEM
Gas turbine cogeneration systems can produce all or a part
of the energy requirement of the site, and the energy
released at high temperature in the exhaust stack can be
recovered for various heating and cooling applications (see
Figure 7.4). Though natural gas is most commonly used,
other fuels such as light fuel oil or diesel can also be
employed. The typical range of gas turbines varies from a
fraction of a MW to around 100 MW. Gas turbine
cogeneration has probably experienced the most rapid
development in the recent years due to the greater
availability of natural gas, rapid progress in the technology,
significant reduction in installation costs, and better
environmental performance. Furthermore, the gestation
period for developing a project is shorter and the
equipment can be delivered in a modular manner. Gas
turbine has a short start-up time and provides the
flexibility of intermittent operation. Though it has a
low heat to power conversion efficiency, more heat
can be recovered at higher temperatures. If the heat
output is less than that required by the user, it is
possible to have supplementary natural gas firing by
mixing additional fuel to the oxygen-rich exhaust gas to
boost the thermal output more efficiently
3.3 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE
COGENERATION SYSTEM
Combined heat and power (CHP) or cogeneration
technology involve the generation of readily useable
heat and power from a single fuel source. It most
commonly involves the operation of a prime mover
such as an internal (spark ignited & compression
ignited reciprocating engines, gas turbines) or external
(Stirling, Rankine) combustion engine, and utilizes the
waste heat of the power producing cycle for heating
purposes, thus increasing the overall efficiency of the
application. Due to the potential for resource and
environment conservation, as well as the desire for
power autonomy, the combined heat and power (CHP)
market is expanding [6] and is starting to penetrate the
small residential sector, for the scale of which
(electrical capacity lower than 10 kw, ICE based micro-
CHP systems are currently the most marketable of the
available micro-CHP types due to sharing an
established, mature, highly reliable technology, while
at the same time being characterized by low purchase
and maintenance costs. While Compression Ignition
(CI) engines enjoy a widespread proliferation in the
role of larger stationary power plants due to their
associated advantages, such as a high fuel conversion
efficiency and durability, the fact that Natural Gas (NG)
is readily available to households through transmission
pipeline networks, the environmentally friendly nature
of the fuel, as well as the low cost and effort
adaptability of Spark Ignited (SI) engines to run on
Natural Gas has made small NG fuelled SI engines the
technology of choice for powering the majority of
currently available ICE based micro-CHP units. The
above, when combined with the widespread usage of
simulation tools for CHP system research, design, and
selection, as well as the special nature of cogeneration
technology, have created the need for fast running
mathematical models of spark ignited internal combustion
engines that predict both power and waste heat
components. As a response, several researchers have
developed a number of quasi-stationary ICE and CHP
models
4. CLASSIFICATION OF COGENERATION
SYSTEM
4.1 TOPPING SYSTEM
The system is known as a topping cycle when the fuel
supplied is first used to produce power, and then later
in the process to produce thermal energy. The thermal
energy in the system is used to satisfy process heat or
other thermal requirements. Topping cycle
cogeneration is the most widely used type and is
nowadays the most popular type of cogeneration
system.
4.2 BOTTOMING CYCLE
A bottoming cycle the primary fuel is used to
produce thermal energy at a high temperature.
The heat rejected in the process is then further
used to generate power through a recovery boiler
as well as a turbine generator. Nowadays,
bottoming cycles are widely used for
manufacturing processes that require heat at high
temperatures in furnaces, and also reject heat as
very high temperatures. Even though they are
used in the list mentioned below, bottoming cycle
plants are less common and not used as much as
topping cycle plants. A bottoming cycle is used in
the following types of plants.
5. EFFICIENCY OF CO-GENERATION
CYCLE
. Thermal Plants (Coal Based) 30 to 40%
. Thermal Plants (Gas Turbine) 25 to 30%
. Combined Cycle 55 to 60%
. Co – Generation 60 to 70%
The efficiency of cogeneration can vary with
technology, dimensions, boundary conditions and fuels,
but high efficiency gains of 30% and more compared to
separate generation of heat and power are common. It
is important to mention that this efficiency relates to the
aggregate - electric an thermal - efficiency.
The influence of boundary conditions on system efficiency
can be illustrated by a simple example: CHP is most
efficient when the heat can be used on-site or very close to
it. Overall efficiency is reduced when the heat must be
transported over longer distances. This requires heavily
insulated pipes, which are expensive and inefficient

6. conventional generation vs co- Co-generation means using the same plant for
generation generating energy in multiple forms, at the same
time, using the same input energy. So instead of
Conventional generation of electricity in large burning an amount of coal, let's say, to generate
only electricity, let say, you would use the residual
central power stations is normally only 30-40%
heat in the powerplant to heat up water and also
energy efficient. provide energy in the form of heated water,
alongside the electrical energy, from the same
Cogeneration offers energy savings of between 15- amount of coal. You are co-generating, that is,
40% as compared with the supply of generating both electricity and thermal energy.
electricity and heat from conventional power
stations and boilers

8. TRIGENERATION

Trigeneration is known as the process of

generating three different types of energy in a
combined manner. These three different types of
energy are electricity, heat and cooling. All these
are simultaneously produced from a fuel source
referred to as combined heat power and cooling.
Therefore, in other words, trigeneration takes the
process of cogeneration of heat and electricity to
another level, with the utilization of waste heat for
purposes of cooling with the use of an absorption
chiller. A trigeneration system is basically the
integration of two types of technology, namely
the cogeneration system as well as cooling
7.0 HOW CO-GENERATION SAVES technology which is done through compression
or absorption systems.
ENERGY

9. Factors Influencing Cogeneration
Choice
The selection and operating scheme of a
cogeneration system is very much site-specific and
depends on several factors, as described below:
9.1 BASE ELECTRICAL LOAD MATCHING
In this configuration, the cogeneration plant is sized
to meet the minimum electricity demand of the site
based on the historical demand curve. The rest of the
needed power is purchased from the utility grid. The
thermal energy requirement of the site could be met
by the cogeneration system alone or by additional
boilers. If the thermal energy generated with the base
electrical load exceeds the plant’s demand and if the
situation permits, excess thermal energy can be
exported to neighbouring customers
9.2 Base Thermal Load Matching
The cogeneration system is sized to supply the
minimum thermal energy requirement of the site.
Stand-by boilers or burners are operated during
periods when the demand for heat is higher. The
prime mover installed operates at full load at all time.
If the electricity demand of the site exceeds that
which can be provided by the prime mover, then the
remaining amount can be purchased from the grid.
Likewise, if local laws permit, the excess electricity can
be sold to the power utility.
9.3 Electrical Load Matching
In this operating scheme, the facility is totally
independent of the power utility grid. All the
power requirements of the site, including the
reserves needed during scheduled and
unscheduled maintenance, are to be taken into
account while sizing the system. This is also
referred to as a “stand-alone” system. If the
thermal energy demand of the site is higher than
that generated by the cogeneration system,
auxiliary boilers are used. On the other hand,
when the thermal energy demand is low, some
thermal energy is wasted. If there is a possibility,
excess thermal energy can be exported to
neighbouring facilities.
9.4 Thermal Load Matching
the cogeneration system is designed to meet the
thermal energy requirement of the site at any
time. the prime movers are operated following
the thermal demand. during the period when the
electricity demand exceeds the generation
capacity, the deficit can be compensated by
power purchased from the grid. similarly, if the
local legislation permits, electricity produced in
excess at any time may be sold to the utility.
10. BENEFITS OF COGENEFRATION
Cogeneration can significantly reduce carbon
emissions and energy costs, as this EPA case
study shows.
And while typical combustion systems have an
efficiency of about 40-50 percent, cogeneration
systems that combine the power and heat
generation processes can be up to 80 percent
efficient. In addition to reducing carbon emissions
and contributing to sustainability goals,
cogeneration offers many other benefits, including:
 Enhancing operational efficiency to lower overhead
costs
 Reducing energy waste, thereby increasing energy
efficiency
 Offering greater energy independence by moving a
portion of the load off the grid
 Allowing companies to replace aging infrastructure
When combined with a renewable fuel supply, such as
biomass or biogas, cogeneration is an environmentally
responsible source of reliable, base load generation.
These benefits have attracted the attention of many
large-scale facilities.
11. APPLICATIONS OF COGENERATION
SYSTEM
1. In industries, such as rayon, pulp and paper, chemical
processing, and textile, which require simultaneous
steam and power, it is possible to meet either part or full
heat and power requirements using steam turbine, gas
turbine with heat recovery boiler.
2. Cement kilns and brick kilns require a large amount of
high temperature process heat. The gas turbine exhaust,
with or without supplementary firing, can supply this heat
and produce electric power for the factory.
3. In glass melting furnaces, heat from the exhaust gases
can be recovered in waste heat boiler to produce steam.
The steam can be expanded in steam turbines to
produce electrical power
CONCLUSION
Cogeneration is a key element in the energy
conservation. It significantly improves the
efficiency of energy generation which results in
lower energy costs. Cogeneration have many
types thus various plants can be constructed
depending on the thermal and electrical demands.
It is also a great source of distributed generation
which enhances the reliability of the power system
and lowers the transmission losses because there
is no need to transport power on large distances
However cogeneration does not fit in everywhere.
There have to be precise surveys done to check if
there is a proper demand for both electricity
and heat. Otherwise such a operation would be
uneconomic.
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