Experimental Development, Thermodynamic/Thermo-Fluid Dynamic Analysis and Optimization of Cogeneration Systems and Polygeneration Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Although they have been investigated for many decades as stand-alone solutions, combined heat and power (CHP) and combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) systems have been objects of renewed interest in recent years. This is mainly due to their possibility of being integrated by further conventional or renewable technologies, thus constituting the main sub-systems of local, small, or medium-scale polygeneration plants. In fact, the exploitation of renewable energy sources and energy-saving techniques has become mandatory to meet the required energy demand while mitigating anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. In this context, the increasing attention given to CHP/CCHP and polygeneration plants is due to their potential to ensure significant primary energy savings in the framework of a distributed multi-energy generation system.

Therefore, the purpose of this Special Issue is to collect high-quality research papers and review articles dealing with CHP/CCHP and polygeneration systems. Original high-quality contributions that are not yet published or are not currently under review by other journals or peer-reviewed conferences will be considered.

In particular, the most significant and recent studies addressing experimental development, optimal sizing, configuration and/or operation, or detailed numerical analyses focused on CHP systems or hybrid/renewable polygeneration plants will be included in this Special Issue. Several technologies will be considered for CHP-CCHP systems (internal combustion engines, gas turbines, fuel cells, etc.), while hybrid/renewable polygeneration plants may exploit solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal, or other renewable energy resources to meet multiple purposes (power generation, also from waste heat recovery through ORC, heating, cooling, water management, hydrogen production, etc.). Onsite or transport (ship, rail, etc.) applications will be considered. Papers addressing the study of electrical or thermal storage systems are also welcome.

Manuscripts may be focused on, but are not limited to, the following topics and activities:

• Energetic, exergetic, and/or economic analysis of cogeneration, trigeneration or polygeneration systems.
• Hybrid/renewable multi-energy generation systems.
• Smart grids.
• Thermo-fluid dynamic modeling and analysis of cogeneration systems.
• Prototyping and experimental developments.
• Optimal sizing, configuration, and/or operation of cogeneration, trigeneration, or multi-energy generation plants, whether hybrid or renewable.
• Experimental or numerical investigation of plants’ sub-systems (photovoltaic/thermodynamic solar systems, biomass or geothermal plants, ORC plants, fuel cells, internal combustion engines, gas turbines, desalination systems, thermal/electrical storage systems, or other plant components).
• Carbon dioxide and pollutant emissions analysis or optimization.
• Optimization methodologies.
• Thermodynamic analysis of distributed integrated energy systems or their sub-systems.
• Control strategies and system management.

Prof. Dr. Alfredo Gimelli
Dr. Maria Vicidomini
Dr. Massimiliano Muccillo
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.