Abstract
This study focuses on the thermodynamic performance analysis of the solar organic Rankine cycle (SORC) that uses solar radiation over a moderate temperature range. A compound parabolic collector (CPC) was adjusted to collect solar radiation because of its long-lasting nature and featured low concentration ratios, which are favorable for moderate temperature applications. A thermal storage tank was fixed to preserve the solar energy and ensure the system’s continuous performance during unfavorable weather. However, water was used as the heat transfer fluid and R245fa was used as the working fluid in this system. The performance in both the hottest and coldest months was analyzed using the average hourly profile in MATLAB using weather data from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Variations in the tank temperature during the charging and discharging modes were found. The hourly based thermal efficiency and net power output for both configurations were also compared. The results show that at 17:00, when the cycle was about to shut down, the thermal efficiency was 12.79% and the network output was 16 kW in July, whereas in January, the efficiency was ~12.80% and the net power output was 15.54 kW.
Highlights
The graph trend in the figure shows the slight increment in the tank temperature, which is because it has a similar amount of solar radiation with 10 kg/s mass flow and the lower ambient temperature which results in a minimal loss in collectors
The results indicate that the efficiency of the ORC system starts use in semi-arid climates under different seasons
A moderate temperature solar organic Rankine cycle system has been designed, which consists of the compound parabolic collector (CPC) collectors, thermal energy storage devices (TES) tank, and the power cycle
Summary
Considering the low-temperature solar power generation of a CPC collector of low concentration ratio and ORC, we determined that it acquires a two-stage collector and heat storage device to increase the heat collection efficiency. Wang et al [25] studied how the off-design model of an ORC cycle operated by solar energy is presented with the CPC collector to collect the solar radiation, and how the thermal storage is deployed to achieve the continuous operation of the entire system. The present study developed a comprehensive thermodynamic analysis of the SORC system based on a CPC, thermal energy storage, and an ORC that uses selected organic working fluids, namely R245fa due to its thermodynamic performance and zero effect on the environment. The thermodynamic performance of the system is based on the variation in the system efficiencies and net power output
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