Establishment of a Model for a Combined Heat and Power Plant with ThermosysPro Library

Abstract The Simulation and Information Technologies for Power Generation System Department (STEP) has developed a methodology, as part of the framework of an EDF R&D project, to model and optimize energy systems for the associated companies with the aim of highlighting the possibility of using modelling tools to optimize energy systems. Dymola software, a commercial implementation of Modelica, which was developed by Dassault Systemes has been employed. A library, called ThermosysPro and developed by EDF R&D, has in particular been used. The energy system presented in the paper is a Combined Heat and Power plant (CHP), managed by Fenice SpA, which has been designed to supply electric and thermal energy to a food factory near Parma (Italy). This kind of system can be regulated over a large power range and, as a consequence, the CHP plant can supply the total amount of thermal energy required by the user. From a comparison of the experimental data and the simulation results, it can be seen that the behaviour of the turbo gas and the steam turbine approximately follows the results of the performance test at full load over a wide temperature range. As far as the performance at partial load, the gas turbine Heat Rate and the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) performance are concerned, the simulation results and the actual CHP plant behaviour again appear to be in good agreement.