Clean and efficient microCHCP by micro turbine based hybrid systems

Project Information

Fit4Micro

Grant agreement ID: 101083536

DOI

10.3030/101083536

EC signature date 23 August 2022

Start date 1 October 2022

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 4 993 387,50

EU contribution

€ 4 993 387,50

Coordinated by

MITIS
Belgium

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Fit4Micro (Clean and efficient microCHCP by micro turbine based hybrid systems)

Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

About 40% of the energy consumption and 36% of emissions from energy in Europe is due to the building sector. Heating, cooling, and hot water accounting for 79% of the total energy use of EU households, off which ~75% is generated from fossil fuels. The energy demand in the European building sector is diverse, and differences in seasonal demand and local energy infrastructure complicates the transition to a sustainable sector. Therefore, solutions increasing the share of renewables at household level are needed.
Fit4Micro aims to develop a flexible hybrid microCHP unit running on sustainable liquid biofuels, able to provide renewable heating, cooling and power production for demand-driven applications such as multi-family houses specially at remote and/or off-grid locations, non-residential buildings and industrial facilities requiring cooling or water as refrigerant in their processes.
Fit4Micro system is based on a double shaft mGT combined with a humidification unit. This combination will lead to electrical efficiencies >40% and flexible heat:power ratio. A high GHG emission reduction is obtained by our flameless combustor using RED2 compliant biofuels.
Fit4Micro is ideal for household buildings due to its low noise and vibration. Furthermore, its fast response time and fuel-flexible operation make it ideal for a highly efficient hybrid CHP system, resilient to changes in fuel and power markets and empowering the consumers through digital solutions. Fit4Micro can be integrated with a compression heat pump, an adsorption and a solar PV system through the DC power avoiding transmission losses; using a smart control system to enable optimal performance.
Fit4Micro enables efficient fuel distribution and off-grid operations by using sustainable liquid biofuels produced from biomass residues and organic waste streams. Fit4Micro also aims to widen the feedstock basis and lower the fuel costs by using residues as primary feedstock.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

BTG has produced 15 different HPO samples and optimal low severity conditions have been determined. Production of HPO using synthesized FPBO from 3 selected and pre-treated biomass residue feedstocks has been assessed. Using bark has provided the best results compared to FPBO from contaminated wood and wheat straw. Additional purification steps necessary to deal with higher concentrations of inorganic contaminants are on-going. Value chain considerations to ensure low NOx emission standards upon combustion and standardisation and fuel logistics are under evaluation and have been used to perform the 1st LCA.
OWI has closed the LP flameless combustion test campaign. Results have been used to optimize the CFD models which will help to optimize the combustor design together with the materials that have shown the best results in the creep and corrosion tests. HP combustor test bench is available in OWI to perform the testing campaign, first with natural gas and then with reference HPO.
The consortium is building 2 complete test prototypes: one for MITIS and one for FH. The technology development of Fit4Micro has been exploited (through a separate public tendering process) to deliver a system to UMONS for humidification testing. The humidified cycle will be ready Q4-25 to start the test campaign Q1-26. Recent findings about synchronization between HP & LP stages have allowed to improve the HP stage design and tests will start Q1-26.
FH has modelled and simulated all subsystems (mGT, heat pump, recooler and adsorption chiller) that will integrate full Fit4Micro containerized solution. Control strategy for different use cases has been established and is currently being implemented both in the system model as well as for the system testing. HiL testing of the mGT has been completed by OWI. All preliminary steps to integrate the system are well advanced.
1st LCA has been performed and a paper on policy and regulatory and recommendations for Fit4Micro is ready to be released. We kept audiences engaged with an updated website, social media and strong visibility at conferences and events

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Fit4Micro aims to reduce the use of fossil fuels for decentralized combined heat and power generation. The Fit4Micro is a sustainable hybrid system comprising: combined heat, cooling and electric power production for maximum efficient primary energy conversion; a highly efficient mGT with flexible H:P ratio with electrical efficiency > 40%; flameless combustor of bio liquid fuels to minimize emissions, (NOx < 50% of the current norm value) and use of a renewable biofuel produced from residue and waste streams.
Within this project, the integration of a mGT with a heating capacity of ~40-60 kWth with heat pumps as hybrid microCHCP system will deliver a heating efficiency between 140-210% depending on climate&heating conditions, representing 40-110% efficiency increase compared to a stand-alone boiler system. Regarding the liquid fuel combustion is well-known that flameless oxidation is a technology lowering thermal NOx and soot to marginal values, while maintaining a high thermal performance. Fit4Micro counts on an optimized flameless combustor which reduces NOx, CO and soot below actual technologies using a widen feedstock and RED2 compliant resource for liquid biofuels. This objective will be achieved using fast pyrolysis bio-oil (FPBO) as renewable feedstock for hydrotreatment. In fact, FPBO can be further treated to get HPO which are more suitable than FPBO for domestic usage, providing a good sustainable alternative. A LCA will evaluate the societal impact from environmental, socio-economic, public opinion of biobased decentralised heating, cooling and power production points of view, and will align to CL6-2021-ZEROPOLLUTION program.