Performance assessment and optimization on a novel geothermal combined cooling and power system integrating an absorption power cycle with an absorption-compression hybrid refrigeration cycle in parallel

Abstract

A novel geothermal combined cooling and power system (CCP) integrating an absorption power cycle (APC) with an absorption-compression hybrid refrigeration cycle (ACRC) in parallel (PAPCRC) is proposed in this paper. Comprehensive energy, exergy, exergoenconomic, and exergoenvironmental analyses on the PAPCRC are conducted, and Multi-objective optimizations are carried out for the PAPCRC and traditional absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC). The results show that the low-temperature vapor generator and evaporator provide the maximum exergy destruction. The highest overall cost rate and overall environmental impact rate belong to the condenser and evaporator. Besides, the system operating under higher high-temperature vapor generator temperature, evaporator temperature and weak solution concentration can provide better overall performance. As well, the optimal outlet pressure of high-temperature vapor generator can be found to maximize net power output and exergy efficiency, and to obtain the best exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental performance, while the cooling capacity decreases with increasing high-temperature vapor generator outlet pressure. Moreover, compared with the ARC, the PAPCRC obtains significantly better thermodynamic and exergoeconomic performance with an increment in cooling capacity by 89.99% and a reduction in total product unit cost by 43.89%, as well as comparable exergoenvironmental performance with a reduction in total product unit environmental impact by 1.63%.