Why Would A Hospital Consider Absorption Chillers?
While CHP is good, CCHP can be even better for your facility and its locale. The author surveys the potential benefits, building code input, and electrical considerations. After a couple of case studies, she then reviews considerable engineering re-sources the DOE provides for those contemplating a forward-looking but proven design.
A typical load profile for a hospital might show heat energy increases in the winter, with electric demand peaks in the summer as seen in Figures 1 and 2.
This hospital will save well over $500,000 per year by weaving tri-generation (heat, cooling, and power) into its central plant infrastructure. Tri-gen for this hospital will provide a simple payback of less than seven years when the avoided cost of replacing an old chiller with a new DX chiller is included. Add the avoided cost of an emergency generator and/or boiler, and the payback drops even more.