Class Topper Optimization Approach to Solve Non-Convex Combined Heat and Power Economic Dispatch Problems in Power Systems

Combined heat and power economic load dispatch is an optimization problem in power systems to schedule the generation output satisfying the demand with the most economical operational cost. This paper presents a class topper optimization technique to solve the highly non-linear combined heat and power economic dispatch (CHPED) problems. The class topper optimization (CTO) algorithm process identifies and implements strategies to enhance students' learning performance to maximize their potential by improving knowledge. Here, the inter-dependency of power and heat production in CHPED problems increases the complexity and non-convexity in their nature. The main objective is to minimize the total operational fuel cost for power and heat generation units while fulfilling the demand and practical constraints, e.g., valve-point effects, prohibited operating zones (POZs) and transmission loss. For illustrative purposes, class topper optimization is applied to two case studies of the CHPED problem with and without losses to validate effectiveness and demonstrate superiority compared to well-known previously published existing techniques for obtaining desirable practical solutions.