Finite-Time Thermoeconomic Optimization of a Solar-Driven Heat Engine Model

Marco A Barranco-Jimenez,Norma Sanchez-Salas,Fernando Angulo-Brown

doi:10.3390/e13010171

Abstract

In the present paper, the thermoeconomic optimization of an irreversible solar-driven heat engine model has been carried out by using finite-time/finite-size thermodynamic theory. In our study we take into account losses due to heat transfer across finite time temperature differences, heat leakage between thermal reservoirs and internal irreversibilities in terms of a parameter which comes from the Clausius inequality. In the considered heat engine model, the heat transfer from the hot reservoir to the working fluid is assumed to be Dulong-Petit type and the heat transfer to the cold reservoir is assumed of the Newtonian type. In this work, the optimum performance and two design parameters have been investigated under two objective functions: the power output per unit total cost and the ecological function per unit total cost. The effects of the technical and economical parameters on the thermoeconomic performance have been also discussed under the aforementioned two criteria of performance.

Highlights

In 2000, Sahin et al [1] studied the thermoeconomic performance of an endoreversible solar-driven heat engine
We study the thermoeconomics of an irreversible heat engine by considering further with losses due to heat transfer across finite time temperature differences [12,13,14,15], heat leakage between thermal reservoirs [16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24] and internal irreversibilities [25,26,27] in terms of a parameter which comes from the Clausius inequality
Sahin and Kodal made a thermoeconomic analysis of a Curzon and Ahlborn [5] model in terms of an objective function which they defined as power output per unit total cost taking into account both the investment and fuel costs [34], but assuming that the size of the plant can be taken as proportional to the total heat transfer area, instead of the maximum heat input previously considered by De Vos [6]

Summary

Introduction

In 2000, Sahin et al [1] studied the thermoeconomic performance of an endoreversible solar-driven heat engine. Sahin et al [1] calculated the optimum temperatures of the working fluid and the optimum efficiency of the engine operating at maximum power conditions. Barranco-Jiménez et al [3], studied the optimum operation conditions of an endoreversible heat engine with different heat transfer laws at the thermal couplings but operating under maximum ecological function conditions, and more recently, Barranco-Jiménez et al [4]. Studied the thermoeconomic optimum operation conditions of a solar-driven heat engine In these studies, Barranco-Jiménez et al considered three regimes of performance: The maximum power regime (MPR) [5,6,7], the maximum efficient power [8,9] and the maximum ecological function regime (MER). The article is organizes as follows: In Section 2 we present the heat engine model; in Section 3 the numerical results and discussion are presented; in Section 4 we give the conclusions

Theoretical Model

Numerical Results and Discussion

Conclusions