Energy, environmental, and economic evaluation of a CCHP system for a data center based on operational data

Objective: Combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) is an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy simultaneously from a single fuel source on site. CCHP systems in residential buildings and some commercial buildings have been investigated. However, few studies focus on data centers and the studies found are model-based. Without operational data to validate the models, these studies suffer great risks to produce inaccurate results. The objective is to cover the gap through studying CCHP systems in data centers. Methods: This paper evaluated the performance by a case study through operational data and transient modeling. Three measures were defined to indicate energy, environmental and economic performance in comparison with conventional systems. Results: The results showed that the CCHP system reduced 14.12 GWh of primary energy consumption, 9.72 ktons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, and $3,364,066 of operational costs with overall efficiency of 46%. Recommendations were proposed to improve performance. Conclusion: It is concluded that data centers make a compatible match with CCHP systems. Practical implications: The critical efficiencies of overall systems and power generation units for a CCHP system which consumes same primary energy as conventional systems were identified. This provides guidance for CCHP systems' retrofit and expansion. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.