Thermodynamic Cycle Design Research Articles

Enhancing Thermal Performance of Thermodynamic Cycle through Zeotropic Mixture Composition Regulation: An Overview

Composition regulation of zeotropic mixture working fluid for a thermodynamic cycle is an effective way to improve energy conversion efficiency, which offers the potential to construct efficient, flexible and intelligent cycles. Current research on cycle construction of zeotropic mixture composition regulation still heavily relies on construction methods using pure working fluids, where the characteristics of flexible composition variations fail to be utilized. In this paper, the research progress of cycle construction methods and composition regulated structures are comprehensively reviewed, aiming to clarify the potential for enhancing a thermodynamic cycle based on composition regulation. The characteristics of different cycle construction methods are firstly summarized and compared. Then, the composition-regulated structures of a physical-based method and chemical-based method are introduced, and the composition regulation performance are also concluded. Finally, a future outlook on the cycle design and structure design is provided. The review results show that the combination of 3D construction method and superstructure/intelligences construction method has the potential to maximize the cycle performance, where the improvement of each thermal process and the optimization of complex cycles can be considered simultaneously. The composition regulation based on a passive physical method has the advantage of being readily applicable; however, the composition regulation range is limited. In addition, the distillation and hydrate method have a wider regulation range through extra energy input, where the trade-off between energy consumption and cycle performance improvement should be considered in the future. This study greatly assists in the design of thermodynamic cycles involving zeotropic mixture composition regulation and the corresponding composition regulation structures.

A novel extension of the SYNTHSEP methodology for the optimal synthesis and design of supercritical CO2 cycles in waste heat recovery applications

The reduction of anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases requires decreasing the overall consumption of primary energy. Thus, waste heat recovery at medium-to-high temperature is an opportunity for generating electricity while reducing the need for primary resources. Recently, supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles (S-CO2) are emerging as a promising solution. However, a method lacks to simultaneously optimize their layout and design parameters, without relying on superstructures defined a priori. To this end, this paper suggests a novel extension of the superstructure free SYNTHSEP methodology, a bottom-up approach for the optimal synthesis and design of thermodynamic cycles, to handle also super- and transcritical cycles. An Evolutionary Algorithm combining elementary cycles makes it possible to define optimal S-CO2 configurations without limiting the search space of the optimization problem. The objective consists in finding the S-CO2 topology and design parameters that maximize the mechanical power extractable from waste heat streams in the temperature range from 200 to 700 °C, typical of the industrial sector. Results demonstrate the capability of the method to find optimal cycle layouts for any given waste heat temperature, and to achieve, at the same conditions, cycle efficiencies up to 5 % higher in relative terms than the best ones in the literature.

Molecular dynamic simulation on the transport properties of alcohols

Transport properties of liquid are the necessary data for thermodynamic cycle design and optimization, and most of them could be measured by experiments. Molecular dynamic simulation provides an effective way to predict these transport properties in some limited condition that cannot be measured experimentally. In this work, NEMD (nonequilibrium molecular dynamics) method has been applied to calculate the thermal conductivity and RNEMD (reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics) method has been used to calculate the viscosity of alcohols. The calculated results are in good agreement with experimental values. The results prove the feasibility of the two simulation methods and provide a new way to calculate the thermal conductivity and viscosity of other organic liquids in some limited conditions.

A general mixed-integer programming framework for efficient modeling, integration and optimization of thermodynamic cycle-based energy systems

Thermodynamic cycles are imperative systems for energy conversion, and optimization has been an important tool to improve their thermo-economic benefits. However, off-the-shelf software is often limited by long computational time, inflexibility for modeling and numerical difficulties. Here, we present an equation-based optimization framework featuring: (1) an inclusive modeling structure applicable to various thermodynamic cycles design problems; (2) versatile thermodynamic properties estimation for different working fluids; (3) capability of working fluids optimization with complex composition; (4) an efficient formulation method to model potential phase change of streams in simple/complicated heat exchangers; (5) a systematic optimization strategy to improve solution efficiency. The framework is formulated as mixed-integer nonlinear programming models, and its performance is demonstrated by two thermodynamic cycle optimization problems and one system design problem, including a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle, cryogenic cycle (PRICO), and concentrated solar power (CSP) system. The Brayton cycle case serves as an illustrative example to show thermodynamic cycle design combining the consideration of stream properties calculation, unit operations, and flowsheet optimization. The PRICO example shows the efficacy of the proposed framework in simultaneously optimizing flowsheet and working fluids composition with complex heat exchangers and stream phase unknown a priori. The CSP case demonstrates that the framework can be extended to system optimization problems with high accuracy multi-parameter equation of state. Results prove that the framework is efficient and effective in solving thermodynamic cycle and related energy systems optimization problems.

Density Functional Theory and Thermodynamics Modeling of Inner-Sphere Oxyanion Adsorption on the Hydroxylated α-Al2O3(001) Surface.

The inner-sphere adsorption of AsO43-, PO43-, and SO42- on the hydroxylated α-Al2O3(001) surface was modeled with the goal of adapting a density functional theory (DFT) and thermodynamics framework for calculating the adsorption energetics. While DFT is a reliable method for predicting various properties of solids, including crystalline materials comprised of hundreds (or even thousands) of atoms, adding aqueous energetics in heterogeneous systems poses steep challenges for modeling. This is in part due to the fact that environmentally relevant variations in the chemical surroundings cannot be captured atomistically without increasing the system size beyond tractable limits. The DFT + thermodynamics approach to this conundrum is to combine the DFT total energies with tabulated solution-phase data and Nernst-based corrective terms to incorporate experimentally tunable parameters such as concentration. Central to this approach is the design of thermodynamic cycles that partition the overall reaction (here, inner-sphere adsorption proceeding via ligand exchange) into elementary steps that can either be fully calculated or for which tabulated data are available. The ultimate goal is to develop a modeling framework that takes into account subtleties of the substrate (such as adsorption-induced surface relaxation) and energies associated with the aqueous environment such that adsorption at mineral-water interfaces can be reliably predicted, allowing for comparisons in the denticity and protonation state of the adsorbing species. Based on the relative amount of experimental information available for AsO43-, PO43-, and SO42- adsorbates and the well-characterized hydroxylated α-Al2O3(001) surface, these systems are chosen to form a basis for assessing the model predictions. We discuss how the DFT + thermodynamics results are in line with the experimental information about the oxyanion sorption behavior. Additionally, a vibrational analysis was conducted for the charge-neutral oxyanion complexes and is compared to the available experimental findings to discern the inner-sphere adsorption phonon modes. The DFT + thermodynamics framework used here is readily extendable to other chemical processes at solid-liquid interfaces, and we discuss future directions for modeling surface processes at mineral-water and environmental interfaces.

Parametric optimization of the thermodynamic cycle design for supercritical steam power plants

The paper presents an original methodology and model for the optimal design of power plants with supra-critical steam turbine cycle. By applying a thermodynamic analysis, the method finds the best configuration of the preheating system, the steam extractions from the turbine and the reheating steam pressure, for different main steam parameters and different high-pressure turbine configurations. A multistep optimization is made in the paper for a fixed fuel input. First, a parametric optimization of a given scheme, without restrictions was performed. Secondly, a technical parametric optimization with restrictions and the definition of the scheme is realized. Finally, a multi-objective optimization with the consideration of two criteria is made: a technical criterion (the thermal cycle net efficiency) and an economical one (the specific investment in the power plant’s equipment). The multi-objective optimum values for each studied case are obtained. The results from the Pareto frontier show that the technical optimum tends to the highest values of reheat pressure, while the economic one tends to the lowest values of reheat pressure. The results are in line with appropriate data from the literature.

A comparison of three methodological approaches for meanline design of supercritical CO2 radial inflow turbines

Supercritical CO2 (s-CO2) Brayton power cycles are proposed as the next generation of thermal energy conversion due to their high efficiency and compactness. They are also scalable allowing construction of power plants at different sizes without efficiency costs. The radial inflow turbine is the critical component of small scale s-CO2 cycles. This paper presents a comparative analysis of three design methodologies that are commonly used in preliminary design of air turbines and discusses their applicability to s-CO2 turbines while proposing a process in which the turbine design can be incorporated into the higher-level thermodynamic cycle design and optimization by using these methods. The codes developed based on the three different design approaches are validated against experimental data. The twelve radial turbine designs (3 models × 4 turbine outputs) are generated and compared to furnish significant observations on implications of selecting the relevant meanline design methodology in designing s-CO2 radial turbines. Results show that methodologies suggested by Aungier and Moustapha et al. (Moustapha) produce similar blade geometries and flow features while Whitfield and Baines (W&B)’s model results in larger rotor blade heights and different flow characteristics. The rotor inlet radius is determined primarily by the operating condition, while the blade heights are determined by the design parameters. Turbine losses and performance predictions of different meanline models are also examined.

Design of a heat pipe thermostat and stability analysis of temperature field for a speed of sound apparatus

Thermophysical properties of working fluids are the basis for thermodynamic cycle design and optimization. The speed of sound is an important thermodynamic property that can be accurately measured. An apparatus, based on the pulse-echo technique, was developed to measure the speed of sound in compressed fluid for temperatures from 313 K to 453 K with pressures up to 100 MPa. A heat pipe thermostat was designed to provide a stable and uniform temperature field for the speed of sound measurement. The temperature field in the thermostat was simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics software. The temperature stability and uniformity of the sample in the pressure vessel were estimated to be less than 3 mK and the overall uncertainty in the temperature measurement was estimated to be within 5 mK.

Utilization of Waste Heat Recovery in Jordan Cement Factories

This research aims to investigate the potential of using the exhaust gases generated through the cement industry, to reduce the electricity consumption rate of the grid in the cement factory using a suggested design of thermodynamic cycle, which will lead to an improvement of the overall energy efficiency in the plant. Results showed that simple Rankine cycle came up to have the highest efficiency which is equal to 21 % and the most suitable cycle to cement factories with production capacity equal to 3500 ton/day of clinker or more where the temperature range of the cooler exhaust gases is (300-420) ˚C.

Toward the Integrated Design of Organic Rankine Cycle Power Plants: A Method for the Simultaneous Optimization of Working Fluid, Thermodynamic Cycle, and Turbine

Abstract The conventional design of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power systems starts with the selection of the working fluid and the subsequent optimization of the corresponding thermodynamic cycle. More recently, systematic methods have been proposed integrating the selection of the working fluid into the optimization of the thermodynamic cycle. However, in both cases, the turbine is designed subsequently. This procedure can lead to a suboptimal design, especially in the case of mini- and small-scale ORC systems, since the preselected combination of working fluid and operating conditions may lead to infeasible turbine designs. The resulting iterative design procedure may end in conservative solutions after multiple trial-and-error attempts due to the strong interdependence of the many design variables and constraints involved. In this work, we therefore present a new design and optimization method integrating working fluid selection, thermodynamic cycle design, and preliminary turbine design. To this purpose, our recent 1-stage continuous-molecular targeting (CoMT)-computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) method for the integrated design of the ORC process and working fluid is expanded by a turbine meanline design procedure. Thereby, the search space of the optimization is bounded to regions where the design of the turbine is feasible. The resulting method has been tested for the design of a small-scale high-temperature ORC unit adopting a radial-inflow turbo-expander. The results confirm the potential of the proposed method over the conventional iterative design practice for the design of small-scale ORC turbogenerators.

Thermodynamic cycle design of a 700W@3K sub-cooled helium refrigerator test facility

In order to increase the magnetic field and temperature margin of superconducting magnets, a test facility for a 3K sub-cooled helium refrigerator was proposed to decrease the operation temperature from the saturated helium to the sub-cooled helium. The process flow of 3K sub-cooled helium refrigerator has been analysed, including the 4.5K refrigerator unit and 3K refrigerator unit. Two cold compressors arranged in series have been adapted to decompress pressure to achieved 3K sub-cooled helium. The thermodynamic cycle of the 3K sub-cooled helium refrigerator have been designed, which can provide 2.5kW@4.5K in 4.5K mode or 1.2KW@4.5K + 700W@3K in 3K mode. As the most important port, the design parameters and mechanical test at normal temperature test of cold compressors were shown.

Thermodynamic and turbomachinery design analysis of supercritical Brayton cycles for exhaust gas heat recovery

Significant amount of energy is wasted in engine systems as waste heat. In this study, the use of supercritical Brayton cycles for recovering exhaust gas heat of large-scale engines is investigated. The aim of the study is to investigate the electricity production potential with different operational conditions and working fluids, and to identify the main design parameters affecting the cycle power production. The studied process configurations are the simple recuperated cycle and intercooled recuperated cycle. As the performance of the studied cycle is sensitive on the turbomachinery design and efficiencies, the design of the process turbine and compressor were included in the analysis. Cycles operating with CO2 and ethane resulted in the highest performances in both the simple and intercooled cycle configurations, while the lowest cycle performances were simulated with ethylene and R116. 18.3 MW engine was selected as the case engine and maximum electric power output of 1.76 MW was simulated by using a low compressor inlet temperature, intercooling, and high turbine inlet pressure. It was concluded that working fluid and the cycle operational parameters have significant influence not only on the thermodynamic cycle design, but also highly affects the optimal rotational speed and geometry of the turbomachines.

How to approach Carnot cycle via zeotropic working fluid: Research methodology and case study

A great amount of researches on thermodynamic cycles have been active in recent years, such as ORC (organic Rankine cycle), Kalina cycle, et al. However, the ultimate aim of such researches, which could even be traced back to more than one century ago, has not changed with a tireless pursuing to Carnot cycle. In exiting researches, the working fluid, as a medium for energy conversion, is commonly considered to play an important role in the thermodynamic cycle: (1) relative to ideal cycle, most of actual power cycles in the engineering field cannot operate without working fluid; (2) energy efficiency, considering the analysis of second-law efficiency, of actual cycle has a significant decrease due to the introduction of working fluid. Thus, working fluid is a hot spot in the research of thermodynamic cycle in recent years.Zeotropic mixture, which commonly consists of two or more pure working fluids, has flexibility in thermos-physical properties with a possible potential to enhance the cycle performance. The effects of thermos-physical properties of zeotropic mixture should be considered when determining the cycle structure and the design of components. This paper presents a novel construction method of thermodynamic cycle based on the zeotropic mixture. By adding the thermodynamic coordinate of working fluid, a 3D cycle diagram based on the traditional temperature and entropy cycle diagram is applied for performance analysis of cycle. According the proposed construction method, a baseline cycle, composed by ORC sub-system and compositions regulating sub-system, is put forward and available compositions regulating techniques for such cycle are discussed as well. Finally, a representative case is described briefly and the features are summarized. This work provides a new methodology view to guide researchers in energy-efficient design of thermodynamic cycles.

The performance of thermodynamic cycles based on the properties of working fluids

With the increase of global energy demand, themodynamic cycles, such as Rankine cycle, refrigeration or heat pump, have been widely employed to generate work or transfer heat. Since these cycles generally consist of a linked sequence of state points with physical properties variables, the physical properties of working fluid are essential to the cycle analysis. They directly determine the design of components, the cycle performance, the cycle stability and safety. However, in the thermodynamic analysis, the determination of cycle performance and the calculation of required physical properties are usually seperated. The thermodynamic peroperties of working fluids are often obtained from the complex experimental equations, so that the relationship between the cycle performance and the working fluids has not been established yet. What′s more, due to the fact that Carnot efficiency doesn′t contain detailed information on the properties of working fluids, a nature idea emerges how to derive the efficiency limit under the constraint of working fluids. Thus, in this work, the influences of thermodynamic properties on power cycles are investigated and the limiting efficiencys are proposed. In order to derive the cycle performances from the physical properties of working fluids, a general cubic equation of state is employed to obtain the residual properties, such as residual enthalpy, residual entropy and residual internal energy. Thereafter, on the basis of the properties of ideal gas, thermodynamic parameters of working fluids at any state are determined. According to the thermodynamic general relationships, the required heat is obtained for four classical processes, namely isochoric, isobaric, isothermal and isentropic processes. Based on the derived expressions, the output work and cycle efficiency are obtained for power cycles including Carnot cycle, Rankine cycle, Brayton cycle and Sterling cycle. The relationship between the cycle performance and the temperature, the properties of working fluids is developed. As a theoretical upper bound of cycle efficiency, Carnot efficiency is only determined by temperatures of heat source and sink. While the output work of Carnot cycle is a function of temperatures and the properties of working fluids. For other power cycles, it can be concluded that the thermodynamic performances are related with temperatures and working fluids, based on the derived expressions from cubic equation of state. Furthermore, compared with the Carnot efficiency under the same heat source and sink, the thermodynamic perfections of cycles are very low in practical engineering. Therefore, performance limits of thermodynamic cycles are investigated on the basis of the characteristics of working fluids in this paper. Limiting performance is derived from the equation of state and the temperature-entropy diagram of working fluids. For Rankine cycle and Brayton cycle, a maximum isobaric slope in the temperature-entropy diagram is employed to cut out the unexploited area from the enclosed area of Carnot cycle, so that the limiting work and efficiency can be obtained from the cycle areas. For Sterling cycle, when the used working fluid is ideal gas, the cycle efficiency is equal to Carnot efficiency. Although the proposed limiting performance can not be achieved by practical cycles, it can provide some theoretical guidance for the operating condition and the optimal design of thermodynamic cycles.

Method for the Preliminary Fluid Dynamic Design of High-Temperature Mini-Organic Rankine Cycle Turbines

Widespread adoption of renewable energy technologies will arguably benefit from the availability of economically viable distributed thermal power conversion systems. For this reason, considerable efforts have been dedicated in recent years to R&D over mini-organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power plants, thus with a power capacity approximately in the 3–50 kW range. The application of these systems for waste heat recovery from diesel engines of long-haul trucks stands out because of the possibility of achieving economy of production. Many technical challenges need to be solved, as the system must be sufficiently efficient, light, and compact. The design paradigm is therefore completely different from that of conventional stationary ORC power plants of much larger capacity. A high speed turbine is arguably the expander of choice, if high conversion efficiency is targeted, thus high maximum cycle temperature. Given the lack of knowledge on the design of these turbines, which depends on a large number of constraints, a novel optimal design method integrating the preliminary design of the thermodynamic cycle and that of the turbine has been developed. The method is applicable to radial inflow, axial and radial outflow turbines, and to superheated and supercritical cycle configurations. After a limited number of working fluids are selected, the feasible design space is explored by means of thermodynamic cycle design calculations integrated with a simplified turbine design procedure, whereby the isentropic expansion efficiency is prescribed. Starting from the resulting design space, optimal preliminary designs are obtained by combining cycle calculations with a 1D mean-line code, subject to constraints. The application of the procedure is illustrated for a test case: the design of turbines to be tested in a new experimental setup named organic rankine cycle hybrid integrated device (ORCHID) which is being constructed at the Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands. The first turbine selected for further design and construction employs siloxane MM (hexamethyldisiloxane, C6H18OSi2), supercritical cycle, and the radial inflow configuration. The main preliminary design specifications are power output equal to 11.6 kW, turbine inlet temperature equal to 300 °C, maximum cycle pressure equal to 19.9 bar, expansion ratio equal to 72, rotational speed equal to 90 krpm, inlet diameter equal to 75 mm, minimum blade height equal to 2 mm, degree of reaction equal to 0.44, and estimated total-to-static efficiency equal to 77.3%. Results of the design calculations are affected by considerable uncertainty related to the loss correlations employed for the preliminary turbine design, as they have not been validated yet for this highly unconventional supersonic and transonic mini turbine. Future work will be dedicated to the extension of the method to encompass the preliminary design of heat exchangers and the off-design operation of the system.

2 kW급 브레이튼 냉동기용 열역학 사이클 및 극저온 터보 팽창기 설계

2 kW급 브레이튼 냉동기용 열역학 사이클 및 극저온 터보 팽창기 설계

A comparative study between a Rankine cycle and a novel intra-cycle based waste heat recovery concepts applied to an internal combustion engine

A novel intra-cycle waste heat recovery (ICWHR) methodology, applied to an internal combustion engine is presented in this study. Through a split type thermodynamic cycle design, quasi-isothermal compression of the charge air and isobaric combustion of the air/fuel mixture can be performed separately in two chambers. Within such a design, the exhaust heat can be recovered to the intake air flow between the compression chamber and combustion chamber. Consequently, the recovered energy can be re-utilized in the combustor directly, and an intra-cycle waste heat recovery process can be achieved. To investigate the fundamental aspects of this new methodology, a comparative study between the conventional Rankine based WHR and the new ICWHR was undertaken. Both theoretical and numerical analysis were applied to evaluate the performance characteristics of these two technologies. The ICWHR cycle differs from the Rankine cycle in that an energy conversion subsystem is not necessary since the recovered energy is sent back to the combustion chamber directly, and then the system efficiency is improved significantly. Furthermore, the theoretical results indicate that the full cycle efficiency of ICWHR system is determined by the regeneration effectiveness, the compression ratio and the fuel equivalence ratio, then the limitations of Rankine cycle, such as working fluid selection and system parameter calibration can be avoided mechanically. Finally, through a one dimensional system model, analysis of optimal operation range, system efficiency and the heat transfer behaviours of ICWHR system are discussed in this paper and comparisons made with a Rankine cycle WHR system.

Systematic Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycles and Performance Analysis for a Combined High and Low Temperature Cycle

The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is an established thermodynamic process that converts waste heat to electric energy. Due to the wide range of organic working fluids available the fluid selection adds an additional degree-of-freedom to the early design phase of an ORC process. Despite thermodynamic aspects such as the temperature level of the heat source, other technical, economic, and safety aspects have to be considered. For the fluid selection process in this paper, 22 criteria were identified in six main categories while distinguishing between elimination (EC) and tolerance criteria (TC). For an ORC design, the suggested method follows a practical engineering approach and can be used as a structured way to limit the number of interesting working fluids before starting a detailed performance analysis of the most promising candidates. For the first time, the selection process is applied to a two-stage reference cycle, which uses the waste heat of a large reciprocating engine for cogeneration power plants. It consists of a high temperature (HT) and a low temperature (LT) cycle in which the condensation heat of the HT cycle provides the heat input of the LT cycle. After the fluid selection process, the detailed thermodynamic cycle design is carried out with a thermodynamic design tool that also includes a database for organic working fluids. The investigated ORC cycle shows a net thermal efficiency of about 17.4% in the HT cycle with toluene as the working fluid and 6.2% in LT cycle with isobutane as the working fluid. The electric efficiency of the cogeneration plant increases from 40.4% to 46.97% with the both stages of the two-stage ORC in operation.

Multi-objective Optimization of a Regenerative Rotorcraft Powerplant: Trade-off Between Overall Engine Weight and Fuel Economy

A computationally efficient and cost effective simulation framework has been implemented to perform design space exploration and multi-objective optimization for a conceptual regenerative rotorcraft powerplant configuration at mission level. The proposed framework is developed by coupling a comprehensive rotorcraft mission analysis code with a design space exploration and optimization package. The overall approach is deployed to design and optimize the powerplant of a reference twin-engine light rotorcraft, modeled after the Bo105 helicopter, manufactured by Airbus Helicopters. Initially, a sensitivity analysis of the regenerative engine is carried out to quantify the relationship between the engine thermodynamic cycle design parameters, engine weight, and overall mission fuel economy. Second, through the execution of a multi-objective optimization strategy, a Pareto front surface is constructed, quantifying the optimum trade-off between the fuel economy offered by a regenerative engine and its associated weight penalty. The optimum sets of cycle design parameters obtained from the structured Pareto front suggest that the employed heat effectiveness is the key design parameter affecting the engine weight and fuel efficiency. Furthermore, through quantification of the benefits suggested by the acquired Pareto front, it is shown that the fuel economy offered by the simple cycle rotorcraft engine can be substantially improved with the implementation of regeneration technology, without degrading the payload-range capability and airworthiness (one-engine-inoperative) of the rotorcraft.

Development of thermodynamic cycles for concentrated solar power plants

Solar thermal power is a promising ‘green’ technology that could contribute significantly – in countries where it may be applicable due to available resources – towards meeting the 2020 and 2050 targets for the free energy production of emissions [Viebahn, P., Lechon, Y., and Trieb, F., 2011. The potential role of concentrated solar power (CSP) in Africa and Europe – a dynamic assessment of technology development, cost development and life cycle inventories until 2050. Energy Policy, 39 (8), 4420–4430]. Especially for the regions where solar radiation is significant, the technology of concentrated solar power (CSP) plants seems to have a great potential, once cost-related issues are resolved. The thermodynamic process, on which the component design of the plant is based, plays a significant role in the optimisation of the efficiency of the derived configuration. This paper aims to present a route for the design of thermodynamic cycles for a CSP, starting from the simplest processes and heading towards more complicated ones. For a reference output capacity, the obtained efficiencies are presented, illustrating the technical benefits of shifting to more advanced thermodynamic processes.