Dispatch Model of Combined Heat and Power Plant Considering Heat Transfer Process

Due to the coupling of its heat and power output, combined heat and power (CHP) has limited flexibility, which is one of the main reasons for variable renewable energy source (RES) curtailment problem in Northern China. Almost all the existing studies have modelled the CHP's output characteristics as a feasible operation region of electric power and heat power. However, only the extraction steam of a CHP unit that used for district heating can be controlled directly, without considering the extraction steam's heat transfer process, the actual heat power output cannot be precisely decided. Thus this paper proposes a detailed CHP dispatch model based on the principles of heat transfer. A three-stage heat transfer model of the extraction steam is used to describe the heating process. Then, a joint dispatch model concerning CHP units, conventional thermal power units, and RESs is given. Finally, the impacts of different factors on the extraction steam's heat transfer process and its influence for RES accommodation are analyzed. Results show that considering heat transfer process is essential in modelling the CHP plant that used for district heating, especially when the CHP plant is working at a status that deviates from the rated one significantly.