Process Optimization of Heat and Power Plants

Dear Colleagues,

Heat and power plants (HPPs) represent an interesting solution to improving the energy efficiency of industrial sites while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Indeed, they simultaneously produce electricity and hot utilities (steam, hot water) from the same primary energy source within the same installation. CHP systems can run with natural gas, diesel, coal, or biomass. Additionally, they can run with solar or geothermal energy.

Over the years, many research efforts have been devoted to improving or developing new advanced HPPs. To this end, a great variety of different mathematical modelling approaches, as well as simulation and optimization techniques, are available.

This Special Issue on the “Process Optimization of Heat and Power Plants” seeks high-quality works focusing on new concepts and/or retrofit designs and/or novel designs considering the cost-effectiveness of heat and power plants. This Special Issue aims to promote the study of HPPs that help to reduce costs and greenhouse gas emissions and enhance overall efficiency. Potential topics for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

-  Improved/new concepts/designs of HPPs:

• Natural gas-fired combined heat and power plants;
• Biomass-fired combined heat and power plants;
• Integration of heat and power plants and renewable energy;
• Integration of heat and power plants and energy-intensive processes;
• Regulated/deregulatedmarkets.

-  Mathematical modeling, simulation and optimization tools:

• Deterministic optimization approaches (local or global optimization);
• Simultaneous optimization;
• Parametric optimization (optimization via simulation);
• Stochastic optimization approaches (genetic algorithm GA, simulated annealing SA, particle swarm optimization PSO, and differential evolution DE, etc.);
• Single and/or multi-criteria optimization;
• Exergy analysis, advanced exergy analysis, or exergoeconomic analysis.

-  Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

Dr. Sergio F. Mussati
Dr. Pío A. Aguirre
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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.