Integration of absorption refrigeration systems into rankine power cycles to reduce water consumption: An economic analysis

F. Javier Ramírez, R. Salgado, J.A. Almendros-Ibáñez, J.F. Belmonte and A.E. Molina

Energy, 2020, vol. 205, issue C

Abstract: This work presents the economic modeling and analysis of a thermoelectric steam power plant (SPP) cooled with an air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHX) and using an absorption refrigeration system (ARS) as an intermediary, as discussed in Salgado et al., 2017. This novel configuration has the advantage of not consuming fresh water in the cooling system, which is of special interest in locations where water is scarce or expensive. Based on the thermodynamic analysis of this SPP configuration (considering three different power ranges: 5 MW, 50 MW, and 200 MW, and different ambient temperatures from 5°C to 40°C), economic and sensitivity analyses were conducted to determine the cost-effectiveness and profitability of the power plant. Finally, a comparative analysis was conducted to test the economic outcomes of the SPPs using the proposed ARS compared with conventional refrigeration devices based on water cooling and dry cooling technologies. The results show that conventional evaporative cooling towers are the best solution from an economic perspective. Nevertheless, in regions where water is not easily accessible, the proposed ARS achieves better economic outcomes than the conventional ACHX when the ambient temperature is beyond the range of 17.5°C–22.5°C, depending on the power rating of the plant.

Keywords: Rankine power cycle; Absorption refrigeration system; Dry cooling technologies; Economic analysis; Profitability analysis; Sensitivity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544220309397
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:205:y:2020:i:c:s0360544220309397

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2020.117832

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().