Heat current method-based real-time coordination of power and heat generation of multi-CHP units with flexibility retrofits

Real-time coordination and optimization of multiple combined heat and power (CHP) units under off-design conditions benefits overall efficiency improvement, whereas the coupling of power and heat generations among multi-units makes the system more complex. The existing software cannot tackle model accuracy and prompt optimization simultaneously. Herein, a heat current method-based real-time coordination method of power and heat generation is proposed. An optimization platform consisting of four software modules and corresponding hardware is developed to search for the optimal operating state of multi-units in a CHP plant with flexibility retrofits. After system modeling based on the heat current method, the data acquisition and curation module reads data from the distributed control system (DCS) server and then the parameter identification module provides the characteristic parameters of each component for optimization. The hierarchical and categorized algorithm is applied to solve the heat current-based model of the integrated cogeneration system, and the genetic algorithm is used for optimization. The information output module displays the optimized results on the DCS client interface. The platform is deployed in a practical plant with two connected CHP units. Field test results show that the reduction of standard coal consumption of the whole plant reaches up to 3.10 g/kWh.