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Combined Heat and Power (Cogeneration) Flashcards

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  1. Under FERC's PURPA rules, a natural-gas topping-cycle qualifying facility must have useful thermal output equal to at least what share of its total energy output?

    Answer: 5%

    FERC's operating standard requires useful thermal output to be at least 5% of total energy output for topping-cycle QFs.

  2. A CHP generator has an electric heat rate of 10,000 Btu/kWh (HHV). What is its approximate electrical efficiency?

    Answer: 34%

    Efficiency = 3,412 Btu/kWh ÷ 10,000 Btu/kWh ≈ 34%.

  3. A CHP system burns 100 MMBtu of fuel and produces 30 MMBtu of electricity plus 45 MMBtu of useful heat. What is its total system efficiency?

    Answer: 75%

    Total efficiency = (30 + 45) ÷ 100 = 75%.

  4. Which CHP metric credits the system for the boiler fuel it displaces and expresses the result as an equivalent power-only efficiency?

    Answer: Effective electrical efficiency

    Effective electrical efficiency subtracts displaced boiler fuel from fuel input before dividing it into electric output.

  5. In CHP project screening, what does the term 'spark spread' mean?

    Answer: The difference between the value of electricity and the cost of fuel to generate it

    A wide spark spread (high power prices, cheap gas) makes CHP more economical.

  6. Which prime mover typically has the LOWEST power-to-heat ratio?

    Answer: Back-pressure steam turbine

    Back-pressure steam turbines make relatively little power for the large amount of steam they pass on to process loads.

  7. A bottoming-cycle CHP system is best described as one that:

    Answer: Generates electricity from waste heat left over after an industrial process

    In a bottoming cycle, fuel serves a thermal process first and the waste heat then drives power generation.

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Sources & references

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  1. escogroup.org — Test dates, score validity, exam information · verified Oct 2026
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Combined Heat and Power (Cogeneration) Flashcards — ESCO Study Cards with Answers