Short term scheduling in cogeneration systems

Combined generation of power and heat offers great economic advantage and serves the requirements of environmental conservation. However, the operation of such integrated cogeneration systems is a complex problem because the demand for power and for heat must be satisfied simultaneously with regard to many different constraints. The development of an advanced procedure for short-term operational planning in cogeneration systems based on the method of mixed-integer linear programming completed by some supporting measures for problem reduction is reported. Test results for sample systems derived from actual cogeneration systems indicate the procedure´s ability to calculate optimal economic schedules under realistic conditions