Combined power generation or cogeneration is a highly effective technology that produces heat and electricity in one device more
efficiently than separate production. Overall effectiveness is growing by use of combined technologies of energy extraction, taking
heat from flue gases and coolants of machines. Another problem is the dependence of such devices on fossil fuels as fuel. For the
combustion turbine ismostly used as fuel natural gas, kerosene and as fuel for heating power plants is mostly used coal. It is therefore
necessary to seek for compensation today, which confirms the assumption in the future. At first glance, the obvious efforts are to
restrict the use of largely oil and change the type of energy used in transport. Another significant change is the increase in renewable
energy—energy that is produced from renewable sources. Among machines gaining energy by unconventional way belong mainly
the steamengine, Stirling engine, and Ericsson engine. In thesemachines, the energy is obtained by external combustion and engine performs work in a medium that receives and transmits energy from combustion or flue gases indirectly. The paper deals with the
principle of hot-air engines, and their use in combined heat and electricity production from biomass and with heat exchangers as
primary energy transforming element.
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