Experimental Verification of a Combined Power and Cooling Thermodynamic Cycle

Author(s):  
Chris Martin ◽  
D. Yogi Goswami

A novel combined power-cooling thermodynamic cycle, for use with low-temperature, sensible heat sources, is under experimental investigation. In this power-cooling cycle, absorption condensation is used to regenerate the working fluid. This allows the expander exhaust temperature to drop significantly below the temperature at which absorption is taking place. This is an obvious departure from pure working fluid, Rankine cycle operation and is the source of cooling. Expander exhaust temperatures are controlled by the cycle parameters of expander exit pressure (absorption pressure), expander isentropic efficiency, and the vapor properties (temperature, pressure, and concentration) at expander inlet. Experiments have been performed that show the power-cooling concept to be valid by measuring the expander exit-absorber temperature difference and they highlight the direction for future work.

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gábor Györke ◽  
Axel Groniewsky ◽  
Attila Imre

One of the most crucial challenges of sustainable development is the use of low-temperature heat sources (60–200 °C), such as thermal solar, geothermal, biomass, or waste heat, for electricity production. Since conventional water-based thermodynamic cycles are not suitable in this temperature range or at least operate with very low efficiency, other working fluids need to be applied. Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) uses organic working fluids, which results in higher thermal efficiency for low-temperature heat sources. Traditionally, new working fluids are found using a trial-and-error procedure through experience among chemically similar materials. This approach, however, carries a high risk of excluding the ideal working fluid. Therefore, a new method and a simple rule of thumb—based on a correlation related to molar isochoric specific heat capacity of saturated vapor states—were developed. With the application of this thumb rule, novel isentropic and dry working fluids can be found applicable for given low-temperature heat sources. Additionally, the importance of molar quantities—usually ignored by energy engineers—was demonstrated.


Author(s):  
Jahar Sarkar ◽  
Souvik Bhattacharyya

This study presents the potential of ammonia as a working fluid in transcritical Rankine cycle for power generation using both high and low temperature heat sources. Higher heat capacity value and superior heat transfer properties of ammonia compared to water are the motivating factors behind its use as a working fluid. A thermodynamic analysis for the ammonia based transcritical Rankine cycle and its comparison with the water based Rankine cycle is presented. Analyses with several cycle modifications are also presented to study the thermal efficiency augmentation. It is observed that an optimum high side pressure exists for near critical operation. In case of low temperature heat sources such as solar energy or waste heat, where water based systems are not suitable, ammonia based Rankine cycle is applicable with attractive thermal efficiency, although cycle modification is not possible. The results with high temperature heat source such as boiler or nuclear reactor, where the turbine outlet is in superheated zone, show that simple ammonia systems yield lower efficiency than water, although a recompression cycle with regenerative heat exchangers exhibits higher efficiency than water. Significant thermal efficiency improvement can be achieved by increasing the high side cycle pressure. Recompression Rankine cycle can be a potential alternative with proper design measures taken to avoid toxicity and flammability.


2012 ◽  
Vol 557-559 ◽  
pp. 1509-1513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong He Han ◽  
Yi Da Yu

A Rankine cycle using organic fluids as working fluids, called organic Rankine cycle (ORC), is potentially feasible in recovering low enthalpy containing heat sources. The choices of fluids should meet the requirement of environment, safety, critical pressure and critical temperature etc. Under the proposed working conditions, R600a, R245fa, R236fa, R236ea, R227ea are chosen as the working fluids of the low-temperature Rankine cycle system, then those fluids are investigated and compared from cycle efficiency, work ratio, exergy efficiency, irreversible loss. The results show that R245fa is an available and effective working fluid for low-temperature Rankine cycle.


2020 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 10906
Author(s):  
Jeroen Schoenmaker ◽  
Pâmella Gonçalves Martins ◽  
Guilherme Corsi Miranda da Silva ◽  
Julio Carlos Teixeira

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems are increasingly gaining relevance in the renewable and sustainable energy scenario. Recently our research group published a manuscript identifying a new type of thermodynamic cycle entitled Buoyancy Organic Rankine Cycle (BORC) [J. Schoenmaker, J.F.Q. Rey, K.R. Pirota, Renew. Energy 36, 999 (2011)]. In this work we present two main contributions. First, we propose a refined thermodynamic model for BORC systems accounting for the specific heat of the working fluid. Considering the refined model, the efficiencies for Pentane and Dichloromethane at temperatures up to 100 °C were estimated to be 17.2%. Second, we show a proof of concept BORC system using a 3 m tall, 0.062 m diameter polycarbonate tube as a column-fluid reservoir. We used water as a column fluid. The thermal stability and uniformity throughout the tube has been carefully simulated and verified experimentally. After the thermal parameters of the water column have been fully characterized, we developed a test body to allow an adequate assessment of the BORC-system's efficiency. We obtained 0.84% efficiency for 43.8 °C working temperature. This corresponds to 35% of the Carnot efficiency calculated for the same temperature difference. Limitations of the model and the apparatus are put into perspective, pointing directions for further developments of BORC systems.


Author(s):  
Arthur Batista Martins Lott ◽  
Arthur Pacheco Luz ◽  
João Arthur Daconti Silva ◽  
Cristiana Maia ◽  
Sergio Hanriot

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunnar Tamm ◽  
D. Yogi Goswami

A combined thermal power and cooling cycle proposed by Goswami is under intensive investigation, both theoretically and experimentally. The proposed cycle combines the Rankine and absorption refrigeration cycles, producing refrigeration while power is the primary goal. A binary ammonia-water mixture is used as the working fluid. This cycle can be used as a bottoming cycle using waste heat from a conventional power cycle or as an independent cycle using low temperature sources such as geothermal and solar energy. An experimental system was constructed to demonstrate the feasibility of the cycle and to compare the experimental results with the theoretical simulation. Results showed that the vapor generation and absorption condensation processes work experimentally, exhibiting expected trends, but with deviations from ideal and equilibrium modeling. The potential for combined turbine work and refrigeration output was evidenced in operating the system. Analysis of losses showed where improvements could be made, in preparation for further testing over a broader range of operating conditions.


2012 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gokmen Demirkaya ◽  
Saeb Besarati ◽  
Ricardo Vasquez Padilla ◽  
Antonio Ramos Archibold ◽  
D. Yogi Goswami ◽  
...  

Optimization of thermodynamic cycles is important for the efficient utilization of energy sources; indeed, it is more crucial for the cycles utilizing low-grade heat sources where the cycle efficiencies are smaller compared to high temperature power cycles. This paper presents the optimization of a combined power/cooling cycle, also known as the Goswami cycle, which combines the Rankine and absorption refrigeration cycles. The cycle uses a special binary fluid mixture as the working fluid and produces a power and refrigeration. In this regard, multi-objective genetic algorithms (GAs) are used for Pareto approach optimization of the thermodynamic cycle. The optimization study includes two cases. In the first case, the performance of the cycle is evaluated as it is used as a bottoming cycle and in the second case, as it is used as a top cycle utilizing solar energy or geothermal sources. The important thermodynamic objectives that have been considered in this work are, namely, work output, cooling capacity, effective first law, and exergy efficiencies. Optimization is carried out by varying the selected design variables, such as boiler temperature and pressure, rectifier temperature, and basic solution concentration. The boiler temperature is varied between 70–150 °C and 150–250 °C for the first and the second cases, respectively.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 34-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vijay Chauhan ◽  
P. Anil Kishan ◽  
Sateesh Gedupudi

A combined refrigeration and power cycle, which uses ammonia-water as the working fluid, is proposed by combining Rankine and vapour absorption cycles with an advantage of varying refrigeration capacity to power output ratio. The study investigates the usage of low temperature heat sources for the cycle operation. Results of parametric analysis are presented, which show the scope for optimization. Results of thermodynamic optimization of the cycle for second law efficiency performed using genetic algorithm for different ambient temperatures are also presented. The cycle shows good potential for obtaining refrigeration and power generation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 1950012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeynab Seyfouri ◽  
Mehran Ameri ◽  
Mozaffar Ali Mehrabian

In the present study, a totally heat-driven refrigeration system is proposed and thermodynamically analyzed. This system uses a low-temperature heat source such as geothermal energy or solar energy to produce cooling at freezing temperatures. The proposed system comprises a Rankine cycle (RC) and a hybrid GAX (HGAX) refrigeration cycle, in which the RC provides the power requirement of the HGAX cycle. An ammonia–water mixture is used in both RC and HGAX cycles as the working fluid. A comparative study is conducted in which the proposed system is compared with two other systems using GAX cycle and/or a single stage cycle, as the refrigeration cycle. The study shows that the proposed system is preferred to produce cooling at temperatures from 2∘C to [Formula: see text]C. A detailed parametric analysis of the proposed system is carried out. The results of the analysis show that the system can produce cooling at [Formula: see text]C using a low-temperature heat source at 133.5∘C with the exergy efficiency of about 20% without any input power. By increasing the heat source temperature to 160∘C, an exergy efficiency of 25% can be achieved.


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