Exergetic, Thermal, and Fuel Savings Analyses of a Heat-matched, Bagasse-based Cogeneration Plant in Sugar Industries

ABSTRACT The sugar industry employs different cogeneration schemes to satisfy process steam demand, and generates surplus power by upgrading the steam inlet parameters. A wide range of steam inlet parameters is used in Indian sugar industries, and varies from 21 bar to 110 bar in pressure and 330°C to 540°C in temperature. Most of the people understand that higher pressure (HP) steam inlet conditions result in more efficient power plant. In this article, exergy methods, in addition to more conventional energy analysis, are employed to evaluate overall and component efficiencies and to identify and assess thermodynamic losses. The analysis is carried out for a heat-matched bagasse-based cogeneration plant of a typical 2500 tcd sugar factory using a backpressure steam turbine and an extraction condensing steam turbine for a wide range of steam inlet conditions; selected around the sugar industry's export cogeneration plant for better choice of cogeneration plant configuration. The results indicate that a ba...