Integrated Vapor Compression Chiller with Bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle and Onsite Low-Grade Renewable Energy

Muhammad Tauseef Nasir, Michael Chukwuemeka Ekwonu, Javad Abolfazali Esfahani and Kyung Chun Kim
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Muhammad Tauseef Nasir: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Michael Chukwuemeka Ekwonu: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Javad Abolfazali Esfahani: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Kyung Chun Kim: School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-41

Abstract: The present study offers a scheme to improve the performance of existing large-scale chillers. The system involves raising the temperature of the chiller’s cooling water stream using renewable energy sources by incorporating an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The thermal analysis was conducted by raising the temperature of one-third of the approximately 200 ton chiller’s cooling water. The investigation was considered for ORC evaporator inlet temperature of 90~120 °C by the step of 10 °C. Various working fluids for the different ORC evaporator inlet temperatures were examined. Sensitivity analyses conducted on the degree of superheating, degree of subcooling, condenser saturation temperature, pinch point temperature differences of the ORC evaporator and condenser, and the mass flowrates of the heating and cooling streams were also reported. Genetic algorithm was employed to carry out the optimization. The best options for the ORC working fluid at the heating source ORC evaporator inlet temperatures of 90 °C was found to be DME, presenting an improvement of 48.72% in comparison with the rated coefficient of performance (COP) value of the VCC, with a renewable energy input requirement of 710 kW. At the heat source temperatures of 100 °C and 110 °C, butene, which presented an improvement in the COP equal to 48.76% and 68.85%, respectively, with the corresponding renewable energy requirements of 789.6 kW and 852 kW, was found to be the ideal candidate. Meanwhile, at the heat source inlet temperature of 120 °C, R1233zd (E), representing an improvement of 140.88% with the renewable energy input of around 1061 kW, was determined to be the most favorable ORC working fluid candidate.

Keywords: vapor compression chillers; organic Rankine cycle; heating ventilating and air conditioning; efficient energy system; renewable energy integration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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