Modeling and optimization of combined cooling, heating and power systems with integrated biogas upgrading

This paper proposes an analysis for cattle manure-fed anaerobic digestion reactor (ADR), with biogas upgrading technologies, to be integrated into a CCHP system. The aim is to substantiate whether such a system will present economic, environmental, and energy-related benefits over conventional CCHP systems. Eight CCHP configu-rations have been modeled and optimized. The proposed CCHP systems are applied to an office building, for quantifying and analyzing the system performance for satisfying energy loads within the European building sector in a heating-dominated climate. The CCHP system with an integrated ADR, with a biogas boiler, deploying the electric load operational strategy yields the best results. This system presents an overall performance score of 151.1%, after achieving the best carbon emissions reduction ratio of 93.7%, and the best primary energy saving ratio of 32.0%.

Automated summary

This paper proposes an analysis for the integration of a cattle manure-fed anaerobic digestion reactor (ADR) and biogas upgrading technologies into a Combined Cooling, Heating, and Power (CCHP) system. The aim is to compare the economic, environmental, and energy-related benefits of this system with conventional CCHP systems. Eight different CCHP configurations are modeled and optimized for an office building in a heating-dominated climate. The results show that the CCHP system with an integrated ADR and biogas boiler, deploying the electric load operational strategy, achieves the best overall performance.