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

beenhere

$231,869

Amount Spent

closed

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

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.

Lower Costs

Affordability

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

Greater Reliability

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

Project Member

William Torre

Program Director

Subrecipients

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Mason Willrich

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Capt. Clifford Maurer

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Centaurus Prime

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Match Partners

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

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Center for Sustainable Energy

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Contact the Team

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