Thermoeconomic analysis of cogeneration in a Brazilian sugar-alcohol factory

Brazilian alcohol and sugar cane factories have employed cogeneration for decades to produce electricity for internal consumption. The "Usina Vale do Rosario", whose cogeneration system is studied in this work, is one of the few currently selling electricity to grid. Modifications. introduced in the plant in recent years have allowed an increase from 20 to 32 MW in total generated electricity. The aims of the work were to determine the real costs of power and heat supplied by the cogeneration system and to supply information from which operational decisions could be taken. Real data were available and were used throughout the analysis. The exergetic and thermoeconomic cost of each flux was calculated. Thermoeconomic analysis results are shown for the 1998 crop.