Optimization of Combined Heat and Power Systems using a Hybrid Algorithm of Ant and Bee Colony Optimization

In the last few years, due to the development of the new equipment in power systems, challenges have appeared in their planning and operation. One of these issues is the development of combined heat and power (CHP) units. These units have the capability to generate heat and electricity simultaneously according to their limitations. Hence, it is necessary for them to think about the arrangements. In this dissertation, the economic dispatch of a power grid is studied with regard to heat-only units, conventional thermal units, and CHP units. For this purpose, a hybrid optimization algorithm has been used to find the optimal solution, which is derived from the ant colony and artificial bee colony algorithms. The proposed method has been simulated with MATLAB software and implemented on two sample networks. In the studied networks, all three types of units are considered. The results of the proposed method are compared with the results obtained from other methods. The results show that the proposed optimization method has more potential to find optimal solutions and leads to a lower overall cost.