Abstract
A general model for an irreversible solar-driven Brayton multi-step heat engine is presented. The model incorporates a regenerator, an arbitrary number of turbines (Nt) and compressors (Nc) and the corresponding reheating and intercooling processes; thus the solar-driven Ericsson cycle is a particular case where Nt;Nc ! 1. For the solar collector we assume linear heat losses and for the Brayton multi-step cycle irreversibilities arising from the non-ideal behavior of turbines and compressors, pressure drops in the heat input and heat release, heat leakage through the plant to the surroundings, and non-ideal couplings of the working uid with the external heat reservoirs. We obtain the collector temperatures at which maximum overall eciency max is reached as a function of the thermal plant pressure ratio and a detailed comparison for several plant congurations is given.
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