Performance comparison of the solar-driven supercritical organic Rankine cycle coupled with the vapour-compression refrigeration cycle

Abstract

Abstract In this study, a parametric analysis was performed of a supercritical organic Rankine cycle driven by solar parabolic trough collectors (PTCs) coupled with a vapour-compression refrigeration cycle simultaneously for cooling and power production. Thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, exergy destruction and the coefficient of performance of the cogeneration system were considered to be performance parameters. A computer program was developed in engineering equation-solver software for analysis. Influences of the PTC design parameters (solar irradiation, solar-beam incidence angle and velocity of the heat-transfer fluid in the absorber tube), turbine inlet pressure, condenser and evaporator temperature on system performance were discussed. Furthermore, the performance of the cogeneration system was also compared with and without PTCs. It was concluded that it was necessary to design the PTCs carefully in order to achieve better cogeneration performance. The highest values of exergy efficiency, thermal efficiency and exergy destruction of the cogeneration system were 92.9%, 51.13% and 1437 kW, respectively, at 0.95 kW/m2 of solar irradiation based on working fluid R227ea, but the highest coefficient of performance was found to be 2.278 on the basis of working fluid R134a. It was also obtained from the results that PTCs accounted for 76.32% of the total exergy destruction of the overall system and the cogeneration system performed well without considering solar performance.