Abstract

Waste heat recovery systems utilize exhaust heat from power generation systems to produce mechanical work, provide cooling, or create high temperature thermal energy. One system that provides a cooling effect is the turbo-compression cooling system, which operates by using low-grade waste heat to vaporize a fluid and spin a turbine in a recuperative Rankine cycle. The turbine power is used to directly drive a compressor in a traditional vapor-compression cycle. This study presents a theoretical modeling approach that uses compressor and turbine efficiency maps and a heat exchanger UA scaling methodology to make performance predictions over a range of ambient temperatures and cooling loads. The results of experimental testing for a 250 kWth TCCS showed good correlation (maximum error of 2.0%) for power and cooling cycle mass flow ranges of 0.35 kg s−1–0.5 kg s−1 and 0.65–0.85 kg s−1, respectively. The validated modeling approach was used to predict system performance for a Natural Gas Combined Cycle power plant application.

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