Evaluación de la eficiencia energética en una central de vapor experimental a diferentes cargas eléctricas con combustible GLP

Abstract

Nowadays, it is of great importance the knowledge of energy production and, therefore, the efficiencies of the equipment that produce it. The implementation of laboratories for energy studies in universities helps students to gain expertise in energy efficiency. In the present work, the performance of an experimental thermal steam power plant was evaluated by means of energy and exergy balance, under the consumption of LPG fuel gas and a variation of continuous electrical loads, with a view to its implementation in undergraduate and graduate academic studies. The methodology applied was experimental based on observation and measurement, so the steam plant was started up until it reached a stable state, and measurements were taken of important parameters such as: temperatures, pressures, condensate, water and fuel gas flow rates. The results obtained are an energy efficiency of the system of 0 % when there is no electrical load, 0.10 % when adjusted to 2 electrical loads and 0.11 % at 3 electrical loads. In relation to the system's exergy efficiency, 0.28 % was determined with no electrical load, 0.30 % for 2 electrical loads and 0.36 % calibrated with 3 electrical loads. In addition, the energy efficiency of the boiler is 69.85% with no electrical load, 65.92% with 2 electrical loads and 64.93% when 3 electrical loads are connected. As for the energy efficiency of the boiler, it is 29.90% with no load, 32.93% with 2 loads and 32.83% with 3 electrical loads. Therefore, when evaluating the above values, it was determined that the exergy efficiency is higher than the energy efficiency in each process, which indicates that the system is inefficient and there may be an opportunity for exergy improvement, taking advantage of the exergy that is being destroyed to convert it into useful work.