The Impact of a Combined Heat & Power Plant Using Normally Flared-Off Gases in a Petrochemical Plant

Custom-designed combine heat and power (CHP) plants, serving an industrial site, form the backbone of on-site generation capacity. By adopting CHP, a host company, in this case ConocoPhillips, Whitegate Refinery, replaced an existing on-site steam raising plant and substituted to a large extent the commercial electricity supply with on- site generation using "in-house gas", which would otherwise be flared off.. Other benefits of the CHP project include reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, increased refinery reliability due to non-dependence on the national grid power supply. Significant financial benefits have been achieved since the CHP was installed. The paper discusses the findings and results in order to give a full insight on CHP impact on electrical and thermal energy supply and also the impact on emission of greenhouse gases, particularly emission of CO₂, gas from the refinery using "in-house" gas.