CH-09-023 -- Combined Heating and Power Using Microturbines in a Major Urban Hotel PDF

This paper describes the results of a cooperative effort to install and operate a cooling, heat, and power (CHP) system at a major hotel in San Francisco, CA. The packaged CHP system integrated four microturbines, a double-effect absorption chiller, two fuel gas boosters, and the control hardware and software to ensure that the system operated predictably, reliably, and safely. The chiller was directly energized by the recycled hot exhaust from the microturbines and could be configured to provide either chilled or hot water. As installed, the system was capable of providing up to 227 kW of net electrical power and 142 refrigeration tons (RT) of chilled water at a 59°F (15°C) ambient temperature. Under certain conditions, the system demonstrated the ability to deliver a CHP efficiency of over 80%. However, for a full year, the efficiency was only 54% due to non-optimal integration with existing building equipment. Significant lessons learned from this test and verification project are discussed, as are measured performance and economic considerations.

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