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Abstract: The systematic, transparent and accurate on-line energy information of the production process is quite the basis of mill energy management and conservation. An Energy Management System (EMS) was built according to the characteristics of the energy usage in a typical newsprint paper mill. The EMS first realized the process data acquisition and integration, second fulfilled the on-line energy information calculation from the integrated data. A water and steam properties query component based on IAPWS-IF97 was developed and plugged into the EMS to facilitate the energy calculation of water and steam. The practical performance in the paper mill showed that the integrated energy information of the whole mill was gained and the on-line energy supervisory was achieved. In the end a systematic, transparent and accurate energy usage profile is obtained and it would provide the valuable fundamental energy data for the further energy analysis and optimization in the EMS. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper a new method for increased time resolution in multi-period Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) optimisation is presented and applied to a district heating system. The proposed method facilitates the analysis of many time periods in multi period MILP optimisation projects. In the paper, a 365 time period model spanning 1year developed with the novel method is compared to a 12 time period model developed with a more conventional methodology. The new method offers a significant decrease in the amount of input data for multi period models and facilitates changes to the analysed time span or resolution in time. In the application of the new method oil savings of 7% compared to the current operational strategy of the district heating system are revealed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The integration of multiple energy systems (MES) provides opportunities to explore the flexibility to accommodate more renewable energy. The concept and methodology of energy hub (EH) enable the standardized modeling of district MES. However, current EH formulations introduce nonlinearities into the modeling and present challenges to analysis and optimization. This paper proposes an automatic and linearized modeling method to formulate energy conversion in EHs, which simplifies the optimization of EH operations. On this basis, the flexibility of an EH is analyzed and quantitatively evaluated based on the ranks of the coupling matrices of the EH and its feasible operational region. Finally, an application of the linearized model on the interval optimization model is illustrated to show how it can suppress uncertainties and fluctuations in distributed renewable energy. A case study is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and the rationality of the flexibility analysis by comparing two EHs with different flexibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presented a novel mathematical programming model for the simultaneous optimization of heat integrated water allocation networks featuring parallel heat exchanger network (HEN) structure. In the HEN structure, both freshwater and wastewater can be split freely. This model was suitable for both uniform wastewater treatment and separate wastewater treatment cases. The proposed model was formulated as a MINLP (mixed-integer non-linear programming) problem, making it applicable to large scale problems. The main objective was to minimize the total annual cost. Three literature examples, including a large scale example, were illustrated to demonstrate the applicability of the model. It was shown that the proposed method was as accurate as the literature methods for small scale problems, but performed better for large scale problem applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of energy conservation projects involving steam savings requires that the cost of steam be known. While it is straightforward in principle to calculate the heat load and steam flowrate corresponding to an energy conservation project, it is much less straightforward to calculate the cost of steam saved for the economic evaluation of projects. Various simplified methods for steam costing used in practice can be grossly misleading and lead to incorrect evaluation of the economics of energy conservation projects. This paper demonstrates the complexity of costing steam for complex utility systems. It shows that true steam costs can only be evaluated by an optimization model of the whole utility system. Two plots of marginal steam cost profiles and cumulative cost profiles for different steam savings are developed to help understand the cost reduction of steam savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current situation of the energy crisis, the mining industry has been identified as a promising area for application of demand side management (DSM) techniques. This paper investigates the potential for energy-cost savings and actual energy savings, by implementation of variable speed drives to ventilation fans in underground mines. In particular, ventilation on demand is considered in the study, i.e., air volume is adjusted according to the demand at varying times. Two DSM strategies, energy efficiency (EE) and load management (LM), are formulated and analysed. By modelling the network with the aid of Kirchhoff’s laws and Tellegen’s theorem, a nonlinear constrained minimization model is developed, with the objective of achieving EE. The model is also made to adhere to the fan laws, such that the fan power at its operating points is found to achieve realistic results. LM is achieved by finding the optimal starting time of the mining schedule, according to the time of use (TOU) tariff. A case study is shown to demonstrate the effects of the optimization model. The study suggests that by combining load shifting and energy efficiency techniques, an annual energy saving of 2 540 035 kW h is possible, leading to an annual cost saving of USD 277035. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Current energy designs for a building in China focus on the energy efficiency of the whole building and thus often neglect the energy difference between different housing units in apartment buildings. The best design technique in terms of energy savings is not only to decrease whole building energy demand, but also to reduce the energy difference between different housing units to a relatively low level. This paper introduces an important index “energy performance difference between housing units” (EDH) to evaluate the drawbacks of conventional designs on a typical residential building in hot summer and cold winter zone. Then nine improved design options were considered as the possible strategies to diminish the EDH, based on a number of building simulations with the program DeST-h. Results show that the option 9 (add movable shading for the east facing windows and west facing windows, and reduce the U-values of the east walls and west facing windows), an improved design strategy according to the EDH of the current design, reduces the EDH to less than 4% that is much lower than other options and meanwhile ensures a decrease in whole building energy demands. A case study was carried out to validate the effectiveness of this index in optimization. As a conclusion, EDH is a very useful index for optimizing energy designs of apartment buildings and can be used in China to improve conventional building designs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells are regarded as an alternative power source for automotive and portable applications. Due to sensitivity of fuel cell to model parameters and nonlinear nature of the governing equations, proper control of the generated power is essential. In this paper, a nonlinear one-dimensional along-the-channel dynamic model has been considered for modeling and simulation of power generation in a PEM fuel cell. The rigorous proposed model is based on conservation laws and electrochemical and auxiliary equations. To get the best performance and the highest power density of the cell, the operating parameters have been optimized under steady state condition using differential evolution (DE) algorithm. Based on the proposed model and optimized parameters, an appropriate fuzzy controller is suggested. The fuzzy control algorithm is applied to the process and the results are compared with those of a conventional PI control. The results indicate that a faster response of the average power density can be obtained using the fuzzy controller in a servo problem. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Along with high-speed economic development and increasing energy consumption, the Chinese Government faces a growing pressure to maintain the balance between energy supply and demand. In 2009, China has become both the largest energy consumer and CO2 emitting country in the world. In this case, the inappropriate energy consumption structure should be changed. As an alternative, a suitable infrastructure for the implementation of renewable energy may serve as a long-term sustainable solution. The perspective of a 100% renewable energy system has been analyzed and discussed in some countries previously. In this process, assessment of domestic renewable energy sources is the first step. Then appropriate methodologies are needed to perform energy system analyses involving the integration of more sustainable strategies. Denmark may serve as an example of how sustainable strategies can be implemented. The Danish system has demonstrated the possibility of converting into a 100% renewable energy system. This paper discusses the perspective of renewable energy in China firstly, and then analyses whether it is suitable to adopt similar methodologies applied in other countries as China approaches a renewable energy system. The conclusion is that China’s domestic renewable energy sources are abundant and show the possibility to cover future energy demand; the methodologies used to analyse a 100% renewable energy system are applicable in China. Therefore, proposing an analysis of a 100% renewable energy system in China is not unreasonable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new and systematic procedure to select and size a polygeneration plant fuelled by natural gas, solar energy and gasified biomass is presented in this paper. The proposed procedure is based on the superstructure definition, containing a long list of possible configurations for a polygeneration plant simultaneously producing electricity, heat, cold and fresh water. Based on that superstructure, a mathematical programming model was developed and applied to a Spanish tourist resort. Three key aspects were optimized in the mathematical programming problem: energy savings, greenhouse gases (GHG) emission reduction and economic feasibility. The results show, firstly, that the simultaneous production of electricity, heat, cold and fresh water is reliable upon the established assumptions. Secondly, that today higher economic profitability is yet achieved with only natural gas-based technologies, although higher energy savings and GHG reduction are obtained through the gradual increase of renewable energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper presents a model-based supervisory and optimal control strategy for central chiller plants to enhance their energy efficiency and control performance. The optimal strategy is formulated using simplified models of major components and the genetic algorithm (GA). The simplified models are used as the performance predictors to estimate the system energy performance and response to the changes of control settings and working conditions. Since the accuracy of the models has significant impacts on the overall prediction results, the models used are linear in the parameters and the recursive least squares (RLS) estimation technique with exponential forgetting is used to identify and update the model parameters online. That is to ensure that the linear models can provide reliable and accurate estimates when working condition changes. The GA, as a global optimization tool, is used to solve the optimization problem and search for globally optimal control settings. The performance of this strategy is tested and evaluated in a simulated virtual system representing the actual central chiller plant in a super high-rise building under various working conditions. The results showed that this strategy can save about 0.73–2.55% daily energy of the system studied, as compared to a reference strategy using conventional settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper describes a general modeling approach for optimal planning of energy systems subject to carbon and land footprint constraints. The methodology makes use of the source–sink framework derived from the analogies with resource conservation networks used in process integration. Two variants of the modeling approach are developed for some of the important technologies for carbon emissions abatement: liquid biofuels in transportation, and carbon dioxide capture and storage in power generation. Despite the positive impact on environment, widespread use of these technologies has certain disadvantages. In case of biofuels, their production may strain agricultural resources, that are needed also for satisfying food demands. At the same time, carbon capture and storage is rather expensive technology and its practical implementation in power facilities must be carefully considered and planned. Optimum utilization of both technologies is identified with flexible and expandable mathematical modeling framework. Case studies are used to illustrate the variants of the methodology. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The technical, economical and environmental performances of combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) system are closely dependent on its design and operation strategy. This paper analyzes the energy flow of CCHP system and deduces the primary energy consumption following the thermal demand of building. Three criteria, primary energy saving (PES), annual total cost saving (ATCS), and carbon dioxide emission reduction (CDER) are selected to evaluate the performance of CCHP system. Based on the energy flow of CCHP system, the capacity and operation of CCHP system are optimized by genetic algorithm (GA) so as to maximize the technical, economical and environmental benefits achieved by CCHP system in comparison to separation production system. A numerical example of gas CCHP system for a hotel building in Beijing is given to ascertain the effectiveness of the optimal method. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is presented in order to show how the optimal operation strategy would vary due to the changes of electricity price and gas price. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]