Abstract
This paper presents the performance assessment and working fluid selection for a novel integrated vapor compression cycle-organic Rankine cycle system (i-VCC-ORC), which recovers ultra-low-temperature waste heat rejected (50 °C) by the condenser of a vapor compression cycle (VCC). The analyses are carried out for a vapor compression cycle of a refrigeration capacity (heat input) of 35kW along with the component sizing of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The effects of the operational parameters on integrated system performance were investigated. The integrated system performance is estimated in terms of net COP, cycle thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency by completely utilizing and recovering the heat rejected by the condenser of the VCC system. R600a-R141b with COPnet (3.54) and ORC thermal efficiency (3.05%) is found to be the most suitable VCC-ORC working fluid pair. The integration of the vapor compression refrigeration cycle with the organic Rankine cycle increases the COP of the system by 12.5% as compared to the standalone COP of the vapor compression system. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis results show that there exists an optimum operating condition that maximizes the thermal performance of the integrated system.
Highlights
The waste heat rejected by the condenser of the vapor compression cycle (VCC) system is fully recovered by a shared heat exchanger to drive the Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system
The VCC system primarily consists of a compressor, a shared heat exchanger (SHX), an expansion valve and an evaporator, while in the ORC, the expander, condenser, pump and evaporator are
A total of 36 combinations of different fluids were simulated in Engineering Equation Solver (EES) to find out the best candidate of the fluid pair in the integrated system
Summary
The utilization of low-temperature waste heat (solar, geothermal, waste heat and biomass, etc.) can significantly contribute to reducing conventional and non-renewable ways of power generation, thereby relieving the associated environmental aspects [1]. The efficient heat recovery from waste or a low-temperature heat source can play a major role in mitigating the greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency. Many different approaches and thermodynamic cycles were adopted for the recovery of the waste heat. The Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is considered to be a viable technology for the efficient recovery of waste heat [2]. The working of the ORC is similar to the conventional steam
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