Temperature regime optimization suite developed for coal-fired CHP plants by COTES’ employee

Denis Sinelnikov, a young employee of COTES Engineering, has developed the software and hardware suite that enables to considerably reduce fuel consumption and to improve efficiency of co-generation power units operation.

For the last years the efficiency and pricing aspects of co-generation in Russia are becoming of more concern. Almost all of Russian CHP plants were designed with a heat capacity margin, while the demand has demonstrated the decreasing trend for the recent years. The reason is popularization of power saving technologies, automation of heat-supply and heat-consumption systems, as well as increase of the number of individual heat sources. Along with that the power and heat are supplied according to the standards developed in the beginning of the 20th Century, on the basis of averaged half-year (average winter and average summer) parameters, without taking the level of consumption, nor fluctuations of the ambient temperature during a season into account.

Denis Sinelnikov, Deputy Chief-manager of turn-key projects (COTES Engineering) proposed to improve the CHP plant’s efficiency by optimizing the temperature regimes of co-generation equipment. For this purpose he developed a mathematical model and created TeplOZON programming and computing suite. It features optimization, computation of cycle arrangement of power units, computation of water and water steam properties, and taking the temperature schedule zoning into account.

The methodology developed by Denis Sinelnikov is based on dividing the delivery water temperature schedule into zones. The most efficient operation mode is developed for each zone, which is based on the co-generation demand depending on the ambient temperature. Trial application of the algorithm to the figures of Novosibirskaya CHP Plant-2 has shown the possibility of saving up to 16 thousand tonnes of fuel equivalent, minimizing the time of CHP Plant’s peak operation, and eventually, increasing the CHP Plant’s efficiency and extending the service life of power equipment. Moreover, the methodology of temperature regime zoning and using optimum operation parameters of a plant contributes indirectly into the extension of service life of pipelines subjected to the highest corrosion under the maximum coolant temperature.

Further one may use the methodology not only for optimizing the operation of CHP plant itself, but also for building relationship with a consumer, by determining feasibility of connection to central or individual heat supply depending on various parameters.

The know-how is still awaiting for practical implementation, while Denis Sinelnikov has been awarded the degree of Candidate of Science (Engineering) thanks to it. The methodology can be customized for operational conditions of any Russian plant.

“The solution we offer requires no high capital expenditures, while the effect of optimization can be gained shortly, — Denis said. — We see the interest from CHP Plants of Novosibirsk, and, if needed, the suite can be customized to a real power unit for a short time, by making verification computations, performing setup and starting the use of it to optimize the parameters“.