Thermodynamic, economic and environmental assessments of a novel solar-driven combined cooling and power system

Abstract

The present study investigates an improved design of a solar-driven combined cooling and power system based on energy, exergy, economic and environmental perspectives. It includes evacuated tube collector, thermal energy storage, vapor generator, condenser, evaporator, ejectors, turbine, pump, heat exchanger and expansion valve. It is compared with the same capacity's individual cooling and power system. Effects of operating temperatures, component efficiencies, seasonal climate change and cooling-to-power ratio are also investigated. At the typical operating conditions with isobutene, the novel cycle has a performance index of 0.08 and overall exergy efficiency of 3.05%, which are nearly 33% and 44% higher than the individual cooling and power system, respectively. The specific total cost and equivalent mass of CO2 emission are also lower than the individual cooling and power system by 38% and 26%, respectively. At the higher vapor generator and evaporator temperatures but lower ambient temperature, the performance index is higher, but the specific total cost and equivalent CO2 emission are lower. The performance index and exergy efficiency are maximum for January and minimum for April, whereas specific cost and CO2 emission are minimum for January and maximum for April. The performance index is better, but the specific total cost is lower at a higher cooling-to-power ratio.