Micro combined heat and power (CHP) systems offer multiple potential advantages compared to conventional thermal or electric power generation systems. At the Institute of Energy Economy and Application Technology (IfE) micro CHP test beds based on multiple technologies have been setup to evaluate the control schemes under different operating conditions. The performed evaluations and applied control schemes currently depend on pre-simulated static load profiles being fed to the test bed. The static load profiles have been representative for the system evaluation, yet the loads’ dynamics have been concealed during the test bed operation. To provide an accurate analysis of a micro CHP system, the experimental analysis and simulation must tend to show the system dynamics under multiple real-life conditions. To achieve this goal, a hardware-in-the-loop test bed has been setup on site. In this system, a stirling engine based micro CHP, Whispergen 1 kWe-14.5kWth, is used along with a 750 liter heat storage and a heat sink. LabVIEW is controlling the test bed and collecting the measurement data. The simulation model includes a single family house, room temperature controller, and the micro CHP controller, which are modeled using Simulation X, a Modelica based software. A Matlab code has been developed to act as a communication manager between the two programs, LabVIEW and Simulation X. Throughout this contribution, a novel test approach of a hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) will be presented that enhance both accuracy and flexibility of the running system. Detailed description of both the software and the hardware side will show the system operation strategy and the interaction between them. Furthermore, system performance will be analyzed to evaluate the system general functionality, accuracy, robustness, and flexibility.     «

Micro combined heat and power (CHP) systems offer multiple potential advantages compared to conventional thermal or electric power generation systems. At the Institute of Energy Economy and Application Technology (IfE) micro CHP test beds based on multiple technologies have been setup to evaluate the control schemes under different operating conditions. The performed evaluations and applied control schemes currently depend on pre-simulated static load profiles being fed to the test bed. The stat...     »