Analysis of the Possibilities for Energy Efficiency Improvement of CHP Power Plants

A technical and economic analysis for the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of three large CHP power plants in city of Almaty was carried out. 25 energy saving measures have been identified, as measures are prioritized based on the lowest simple payback period. In the course of the analysis, basic and auxiliary equipment was found to be centralized and depreciated (or close to physical operational life). All power plants have a very high consumption for their own electrical and thermal energy needs. This is several times higher than the CHPs installed in central Europe, where over the past 20 years a different set of measures related with improvement of energy efficiency have been applied. Power plants with potential for energy efficiency improvement and process automation are being explored. The implementation of the measures will minimize energy costs and increase the reliability of the Almaty power supply. Based on a preliminary and sufficiently conservative feasibility study, the proposed saving measures make a significant contribution to lowering the price of thermal energy and electricity. The implementation of the modernization measures of the CHP will lead to an annual decrease in the consumption of: Electricity - more than 21 636 MWh; Thermal energy - 36 326 Gcal; Natural gas with 1 755 thousand nm3; Coal with 224 725 t. Besides the direct reduction of energy consumption and fuels, the proposed measures for CHP-2 and CHP-3 can also lead to additional production of 375 200 MWh of electricity with a general reduction of the specific fuel consumption. © 2020 School of Science, IHU. All Rights Reserved.