15 - A Kalina cycle for low and medium enthalpy abandoned oil and gas reservoirs incorporated with solar technology for power production

Abstract

The Kalina cycle is an alternative to the conventional organic Rankine cycle to exploit low- and medium-temperature heat sources. Based on the thermodynamic properties, it is an energy-efficient and clean cycle process. With the same boundary conditions, it is found to be >10% more efficient and effective than a Rankine cycle. In the Kalina cycle, the working fluid is an ammonia-water mixture, and adsorption is applied in a reverse manner in a cooling system for condensing the vapors and utilizing them again. As the temperature of ammonia is low, a phase change occurs comparatively with low energy input, and after converting into vapor, it can spin the turbine. The Kalina cycle is a closed-loop process; therefore, the process continues to operate without any emission to the environment. It is also suitable for various waste heat recovery applications. The heat from the plants, which may be by-products, can also be utilized in the process. This chapter will demonstrate the utilization of low and medium enthalpy geothermal (brine) water to transfer the heat (of the earth) to the working fluid. Combining the geothermal and the Kalina cycle processes, we can form a zero-emission, sustainable, and renewable process system for power production. It has been observed and concluded from the experiments that the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the process increase with the increase in the mass fraction of the ammonia and coefficient of heat transfer up to ~900W/m2K. Thus, hybridization of geothermal heat and the Kalina cycle can result in low carbon emission and lead to clean, green power generation discussed in the chapter.