Study of the Disruptive Design of a Thermal Power Plant Implemented by Several Power Units Coupled in Cascade

Abstract

This work discusses a study of the disruptive design of a thermal power plant implemented by several power units coupled in cascade aiming at increase the heat utilizations factor. Thus, the study addresses the phases prior to the implementation of a prototype of a heat‐to‐work converter and analyzes the performance using a vacuum carried out by cooling. Vacuums have been used in steam engines according to open processes with changes of state for several centuries. In the case under study, a disruptive technique is proposed by which a vacuum is used in closed processes without a change of phase. Likewise, a plant structure based on the cascading coupling of three thermal cycles is designed to achieve a high heat utilization factor. Although the average thermal efficiency obtained in this study is 59.8 for air and 66.7 for helium as working fluids, the most relevant criterion deals with plant performance, for which the heat utilization factor surpasses 85% for air and 96% for helium as a working fluid. Despite the unprecedentedly high heat utilization factor, this study indicates some potential to further increase the heat utilization factor because the power plant can be implemented using heat regeneration strategies.