Utilization of ultra-low temperature heat by a novel cascade refrigeration system with environmentally-friendly refrigerants

Yijian He, Yunyun Jiang, Yuchen Fan, Guangming Chen and Liming Tang

Renewable Energy, 2020, vol. 157, issue C, 204-213

Abstract: From solar, geothermal and waste energy, ultra-low-grade heat of 45–60 °C is large in scale, and is still interesting challenges in converting into useful refrigeration of 7 °C. In this study, a novel cascade refrigeration system was developed to utilize 45–60 °C heat. It is composed of a novel two-stage vapor absorption refrigeration (VAR) subsystem with LiBr/H2O working pairs and a conventional vapor compression refrigeration (VCR) subsystem. The VCR subsystem employs potential R1234yf and R1234ze(E) refrigerants. The novel VAR subsystem operates by utilizing ultra-low-grade heat of renewable energy and recycling condensing heat of the VCR subsystem. Based on thermodynamic models of the novel system, its operating mechanism was theoretically investigated and discussed. The results indicate that the novel cascade system can effectively refrigerate by utilizing 45–60 °C ultra-low-grade heat. Its operation is mainly determined by the novel VAR subsystem. There are optimal Tm and Tg1 to maximize its performance. Tg2 has a greater impact on the optimal Tm and little effects on the optimal Tg1. Furthermore, it implies that an available temperature span could be obviously enlarged from 90 °C down to 45 °C. And, progress of utilizing ultra-low-grade heat of renewable energy could be promoted, beneficially.

Keywords: Absorption refrigeration; Compression refrigeration; Cascade system; Ultra-low-grade heat; Performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:renene:v:157:y:2020:i:c:p:204-213

DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.05.018

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