Analysis of Biomass-fired Boilers in a Polygeneration System for a Hospital

Abstract

Abstract. This study evaluates the types of biomass that can be used in boilers for the production of steam and hot water for the Lauro Wanderley University Hospital located in the city of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil, using average cost of production and business model analysis (Business Model Canvas). The study was conducted to subsidize a system for the optimization of the energy resources to be adopted by the hospital, as the design of a product or service production system can identify opportunities to reduce costs and environmental damage. The energy demand of the hospital was surveyed. Only firewood, sugarcane bagasse and pellets were considered in the analysis, as these are the types of biomass allowed in the specified boiler. The results showed that the pellets were the costliest resource, whereas firewood exhibited the best results considering the average cost of production and the business model. This information supports more consistently the adequate inclusion of this resource in the hospital superstructure and, consequently, the optimization of the polygeneration system, allowing clearer verification of decreased costs and environmental impacts.Keywords: Biomass, polygeneration system, cost of production, hospital. IntroductionOver the last few years, the use of multiple energy sources in energy supply systems to guarantee reliability and improve energy use has been gaining attention [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Polygeneration, as it is more commonly known, is defined as the combined production of two or more energy services to reach the maximum use of the various energy sources used. Its main advantage is the efficient use of these sources, as it requires detailed study of the generation-consumption ratio, the reliability and continuity of the energy supply and the system's improvements compared to autonomous systems. Polygeneration and energy integration are promising tools for achieving better efficiency in the use of natural resources and, in most cases, also reducing the environmental impacts generated [2]. Examples of the application of polygeneration systems include the commercial [7][8][9], domestic [10][11], and industry [12][13] sectors Some consumption units, such as hospitals, exhibit high energy consumption and require continuous and simultaneous electric and thermal energy [14][15][16]. Therefore, hospitals are excellent units with potential for deploying polygeneration systems, as their comfort conditions and electricity, hot water, heating and air conditioning demands must be continuously met. There are recent studies on the optimization of polygeneration systems in hospitals [17][18][19]. However, the optimal configuration of these systems still represents a complex problem due to the wide variety of technological options for energy supply and conversion and the large daily and annual variations in energy demands and in energy prices and rates. According to Shang and Kokossis [20], variability in energy demand requires a project methodology that results in efficient production systems (ther...

Solar Energy and Biomass within Distributed Generation for a Northeast Brazil Hotel

“…The result corroborates those of Delgado et al [23]. Among different biomass options, sugarcane bagasse was also found to be the most suitable option in the optimization of a polygeneration system in a hospital.…”

“…PBGÁS is the company responsible for the commercialization and distribution of natural gas, and the tariff considered was 3.7448 BRL/m 3 [22]. For biomass, sugarcane bagasse was considered following Delgado et al [23] at 51 BRL/MWh.…”