Flexibility Improvement of CHP Unit for Wind Power Accommodation

Improving the flexibility of combined heat and power (CHP) units is an important way to solve the problem of wind power accommodation in northern China. Firstly, this paper analyzes the principle of an extraction-type CHP unit, calculates its safe operation range, and analyzes its contradiction between heating and peaking. Secondly, the safe operation ranges of the CHP unit with several flexibility modifications are further calculated, which involve two-stage bypass, low-pressure cylinder (LPC) removal, heat storage tank, and electric boiler. Finally, based on the safe operation ranges, their effects on improving the capabilities of deep peak shaving and wind power accommodation are compared, and their adaptabilities to different wind scenarios are analyzed. The results show that: ① all flexibility modifications can improve the deep peak shaving capability of the CHP unit, especially for the two-stage bypass and the electric boiler; ② LPC removal modification can accommodate wind power to some extent, but most of wind power is still abandoned; ③ heat storage tank modification is unstable in different wind scenarios, which is determined by the surplus heating capability during the daytime.