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This course examines the underlying thermodynamic principles involved in BCHP, pollutant and greenhouse emission mechanisms and level associated with both SHP and BCHP configurations for a given building site. Quantitative methods are presented for determining electric and thermal load profiles of buildings, the dynamics of thermal to electric load ratio changes, and the design of BCHP systems to meet these profile characteristics. Economic and regulatory principles that govern the application feasibility of a BCHP design for a given building(s) configuration are examined.

AE 454 (one of: AE 455, AE 557, AE 558)

Significant advances in the simultaneous reduction of primary energy use associated with building operation and improvements in indoor environment require a building system engineering approach. Developed countries will be required to take systems approaches to total building design and energy use in order to achieve significant primary energy utilization, and associated emissions reduction, associated with the building stock. The systems approach must take into account the characteristic energy utilization (electric, thermal) of a given building type. Once the electric and thermal energy utilization profiled of a building are developed, the student must be able to identify and select prime move component (electric generation) technology and waste heat utilization component technologies that are capable of meeting these demand profiles in a thermodynamically and emissions profile efficient manner. Using primary energy minimization and indoor comfort maximization as the objective functions, students are introduced to the salient features of prime mover and waste heat utilization from thermodynamic, economic, and environmental perspectives. Design and engineering skills associated with selection and specification of BCHP configurations are discussed. A state-of-the art review of prime mover and waste heat utilization component technologies is conducted by the students.

At the end of the course the students will be able to:

• Estimate the contribution CHP technology could make to reductions in national primary energy utilization and emissions
• Identify and describe building energy use and thermal load modeling techniques
• Configure an energy utilization monitoring, modeling approach for building electric and thermal load profiling
• Identify prime mover - gas turbine, internal combustion, fuel cell, wind, solar, and hybrid combinations of prime movers to utilize in a CHP application
• Identify "waste" heat utilization components to utilize for thermal load profile
• Design a CHP prime mover + waste heat utilization system for a building with a given set of electric and thermal load profiles
• Utilize the 1st and 2nd thermodynamic laws to analyze and optimize performance of components and system configurations proposed for CHP applications
• Estimate emissions from on site fossil fuel use in combustion, gasification, hybrid systems proposed for BCHP
• Determine total, quantitative emissions savings reduction of a CHP design relative to separate heat and power (SHP), conventional design for a building
• Determine fuel energy savings ratios of a CHP design relative to a SHP design
• Perform economic feasibility assessments of a proposed CHP installation
• Delineate federal, state and local regulations impacting the adoption of CHP systems