Combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP), otherwise known as trigeneration, is a system whereby heat generated by the ‘cogeneration’ plant is used to create cooled water for air conditioning and refrigeration units. This function is made possible by an absorption chiller attached to the CCHP unit.
Quadgeneration goes one step further and purifies the CO2 emitted from the engine’s exhaust for use in industrial processes.
What are the benefits of TriGeneration?
Benefits to using a CCHP facility include:
Reduced consumption of fuel and lower energy bills
The steam created by the engine heat can be used to produce hot water onsite
Reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions
Eliminates the need to use harmful chemicals for cooling purposes
Highly efficient production of heat and electricity on-site
Peak energy requirements are significantly reduced during the summer months
Positively affects a building’s energy rating
The Trigeneration system provides three different types of energy:
Heat created by the cogenerator is passed through water, to produce steam to power an electrical drive.
The Electricity produced drives the absorption refrigeration system, which in turn provides chilled water for either refrigeration or air conditioning.
Chilled water is created by transporting the exhaust heat to the absorption chiller, greatly improving a building’s energy efficiency.
Excess Energy
This system produces excess energy, which can then be supplied to the power grid or used as a latent supply to cover the site’s peak supply requirements.
At J.V. Tierney Consulting Engineers we believe that adoption of technology such as Trigeneration plants is vital to delivering sustainable commercial buildings in a greener, lower carbon Ireland. If you would like to know more about this and other ‘green’ initiatives, please call our Dublin office on 01 421 4900 or visit our website www.jvtierney.ie for more information.
