A gap analysis of combined heat and power with gas turbines at Colorado State University

A cogeneration system could be implemented at Colorado State University to produce electricity while offsetting the thermal load currently supplied by the boiler system. After investigating various cogenerative technologies a gas turbine was selected as the most optimal for Colorado State University´s utility system. Due to their size and installation flexibility two Centaur 40 3.4 MW turbines made by solar turbines were selected as the gas turbines that would be implemented. There are various implementation aspects that need to be addressed to gain the optimal performance of the Centaur 40. Within this document the various options for a cogeneration system were analyzed for their optimal installation. These aspects included: absorption chillers, assisted steam turbines, peak shaving and waste heat utilization and were all found to not be economically feasible. A split-installation site was found to be the optimal location of the turbines based on Colorado State University´s thermal and electrical loads.