Micro combined heat and power system transient operation in a residential user microgrid

This paper presents an analysis of the transient operation of a micro combined heat and power (CHP) system, equipped with both thermal and electric storage units and connected with both electric and district heating grids. Analysis is carried out by means of a simulation model developed by the authors for reproducing the transient behavior of micro-CHP systems operating within a microgrid. The prime mover considered in this paper is an internal combustion reciprocating engine. A residential user, characterized by electric and thermal energy demand during one representative summer day, is analyzed by using literature data. The transient response of each component is evaluated separately to quantify the relative deviation (RD) between the user-demand and micro-CHP system transient response. Therefore, this paper provides a measure of the RD over 1 day in terms of the energy required by the user versus the energy provided to the user itself.