Performance Analysis of Kalina Cycle using Ammonia-Water Mixture as Working Fluid for Use of Low-Temperature Energy Source

Abstract

Since the thermal performance of cycles for use of low-temperature source is low if a pure working fluid is used, the cycles using ammonia-water binary mixture as a working fluid has attracted much attention over past two decades. Recently, several commercial power plants using Kalina cycles have been built and being operated successfully. In this work thermodynamic performance of Kalina cycles using ammonia-water mixture as a working fluid is investigated for the purpose of extracting maximum power from low-temperature energy source. Special attention is paid to the effect of system parameters such as concentration of ammonia and turbine inlet pressure on the characteristics of the system. Results show that the system performance is influenced sensitively by the ammonia concentration, and the role of the performance of heat exchangers is crucial.