Because of the high interest in medium scale (100- 500 kWe) CHP technologies in Canada, an opportunity exists to identify and draw lessons from the technical challenges experienced within demonstration projects that received MDIP funding support.
The results of this study should provide the following information, in four (4) main themes:
1) Develop a sound chronology/timeline of project events, through:
review of project reporting and approved correspondence
on-site interviews, telephone conversations and email correspondence with key project personnel
Source and assemble a binder of approved Technical Data Sheets (TDS) including a summary of any performance guarantees and-or maintenance planning provided, in relation to the:
cogeneration unit proper
mechanical equipment and subsystems
electrical equipment and subsystems
thermal equipment and subsystems
control and data acquisition systems
Identify the key technical challenges faced during installation, start-up, commissioning and initial operation, including:
Installation of equipment and subsystems
Tie-in of heat recovery equipment and subsystems
Tie-in of electrical equipment and subsystems
Start-up and commissioning of overall system
Control system tuning and optimization of set-points
Instrumentation and data acquisition of energy related values
Calculation and reporting of energy balance to assess project impacts4) Development of constructive/actionable advice that can be shared with others planning medium scale (100 – 500 kWe) CHP projects, including:
Clear description of technical challenges faced within the projects
Summary of technical solutions tried and relative success achieved
Insights and lessons learned both within and across projects
Residual Opportunities-for-Improvement (OFI) identified and prioritized
Recommendations that can be made to improve project outcomes
Early indication of best practices for calculating and reporting of energy balance to assess project impacts
