Analysis of Performance of a Highly Efficient, Multi-MW Renewable Biogas Fuel Cell and Absorption Chiller CHP System at UCSD
Demonstrating a 350 Ton Absorption Chiller with a 2.8 MW Fuel Cell at UC San Diego
The Regents of the University of California, on behalf of the San Diego campus
Recipient
La Jolla, CA
Recipient Location
38th
Senate District
77th
Assembly District
$231,869
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
The adsorption chiller has been installed and in operation since December 2014. The data collection and analysis phases were completed in the first quarter of 2017. The demonstration proved the feasibility of integrating an absorption chiller with a fuel cell was able to achieve 68% combined heat and power efficiency as it set out to do. Economic analysis of performance suggests a payback period of 2.49 years for a typical commercial end-user in greenfield applications, and 3.63 years for the typical commercial end user where the absorption chiller offsets existing chillers.
The Issue
This project addresses the technical challenge of whether a simple cycle source of electric generation certified by CARB as "ultraclean" at 47% efficiency can be modified with the addition of heat recovery to achieve CHP efficiencies exceeding 68% in order to enhance the technology's currently undervalued economic, environmental and ratepayer benefits.
Project Innovation
This project installed an absorption chiller and a densely populated and diverse set of sensors and measurement devices on the 2.8 MW fuel cell associated with the heat recovery system at the University of California, San Diego campus. Performance data was collected at an unprecedented level of granularity and fidelity, and a comprehensive performance evaluation was completed.
Project Benefits
Application of fuel cells operating on biogas with combined heat and power and capturing waste heat to serve cooling loads, will achieve a very high efficiency of 68 percent or higher. This project will create a valuable database of actual performance of a 2.8 MW fuel cell deployed with a 350 ton chiller. The addition of a 350 ton chiller offset use of electrically powered chillers previously supported UCSD's cooling load, thereby reducing consumption of grid electricity required to produce equivalent cooling.

Consumer Appeal
This project will inform ratepayers and manufacturers of the real-world engineering and economic performance of biogas fuel cells. It will identify where improvements need to be made and, ultimately, enable greater adoption of low emission CCHP by ratepayers.

Affordability
This project is expected to result in lower cost of energy by making more efficient use of waste heat from fuel cell.

Reliability
This project is expected to reduce the load on areas of the grid impacted by the SONGS power plant closure by displacing electricity equivalent avoided by use of 350 ton absorption chiller.
Key Project Members

William Torre
Subrecipients

Mason Willrich

Capt. Clifford Maurer

Centaurus Prime

Match Partners

The Regents of the University of California, on behalf of the San Diego campus

Center for Sustainable Energy
