Development of an experimental prototype of an integrated thermal management controller for internal-combustion-engine-based cogeneration systems

As a kind of distributed energy system, internal-combustion-engine-based cogeneration system is attracting increasing attentions for its environmental friendly and economic qualities. Some problems are encountered in the application, such as jacket water temperature control and the recovery/management of waste heat. To solve these problems, the concept of “integrated thermal management controller” (ITMC) is presented in this paper. Experimental prototype is established to verify its operation principle. Experimental results show that the prototype can effectively control the temperature in variable working conditions. Water/R22 is a good combination of working fluid/non-condensable gas in temperature control. The regulation of hot water flow rate is an effective method to adjust the heat allocated to heat consumer.