A new operation strategy for CCHP systems with hybrid chillers

Performance and economical efficiency of the combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system mainly depend on the system structure, operation strategy and choice of facility capacity. This paper proposes a structural configuration of the CCHP system with hybrid chillers, consisting of a combined electric and absorption chiller, whose electric cooling to cool load ratio varies according to different electric and thermal loads in every hour. A new operation strategy, based on the variational electric cooling to cool load ratio, for the CCHP system with unlimited and limited power generation unit (PGU) capacity is investigated. Given the proposed operation strategy, an optimization algorithm is adopted to determine the optimal PGU capacity. In addition, a case study of a hypothetical hotel in Victoria, BC, Canada is conducted to verify the feasibility of the proposed CCHP system structure and the corresponding optimal operation strategy. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.