On selection and optimal design of cogeneration units in the industrial sector

In Europe, the introduction of high-efficiency cogeneration regulatory has radically changed the incentive scheme for cogeneration power plants that, in turn, inevitably affected the evaluation of techno-economic feasibility of new cogeneration plants. In this regard, selection and optimal design for cogeneration systems need to be investigated in the light of the new regulatory context. The first objective of this paper is an in-depth characterization of crucial industrial sectors aiming to define their average specific electric and thermal energy consumption, in addition, a detailed characterization of each cogeneration technology is provided, so as to identify the most significant cogeneration performance. Then, based on both energy requests of industrial processes and cogeneration performance, a specific procedure is applied to each of the analysed technology for a proper selection and design of a cogeneration system within the new high-efficiency cogeneration regulatory context. Finally, a total key performance indicator has been defined with the purpose to choose the technology best suited to a specific application so that the optimal solution can be immediately identified among a variety of possible ones. The result of this work represents an objective proposal of cogeneration technologies for different industrial processes application as a function of their energy requirements and production.