Maximum equivalent power output and performance optimization analysis of an alkaline fuel cell/heat-driven cycle hybrid system

A generic model of the hybrid system consisting of an alkaline fuel cell (AFC) and a heat-driven cycle, which may work as either a refrigerator or a heat pump, is originally established. On the basis of the models of AFCs and three-heat-reservoir cycles, the equivalent power output and efficiency of the hybrid system are obtained. The performance characteristic curves of the hybrid system are represented through numerical calculation. The maximum equivalent power output and efficiency of the hybrid system are determined. Problems concerning the optimal operation of the hybrid system are discussed. The effects of the main irreversible losses on the performance of the hybrid system are investigated in detail. It is important to note that the waste heat produced in the AFC can be readily used in such a hybrid cycle.     

Performance characteristics of an irreversible solar-driven Braysson heat engine at maximum efficiency

A novel model of the solar-driven thermodynamic cycle system which consists of a solar collector and a Braysson heat engine is established. The performance characteristics of the system are optimized on the basis of the linear heat-loss model of a solar collector and the irreversible cycle model of a Braysson heat engine. The maximum efficiency of the system and the optimally operating temperature of the solar collector are determined and other relevant performance characteristics of the system are discussed. The results obtained here may provide some theoretical guidance for the optimal design and operation of solar-driven Braysson and Carnot heat engines.     

Optimum performance characteristics of an irreversible solar-driven Brayton heat engine at the maximum overall efficiency

An irreversible cycle model of a solar-driven Brayton heat engine is established, in which the heat losses of the solar collector and the external and internal irreversibilities of the heat engine are taken into account, and used to investigate the optimal performance of the cycle system. The maximum overall efficiency of the system is determined. The operating temperature of the solar collector and the temperature ratio in the isobaric process are optimized. The influence of the heat losses of the solar collector and the external and internal irreversibilities of the heat engine on the cyclic performance is discussed in detail. Some important curves which can reveal the optimum performance characteristics of the system are given. The results obtained here are general, and consequently, may be directly used to discuss the optimal performance of other solar-driven heat engines.     

Parametric analysis and optimization of a Kalina cycle driven by solar energy

A solar-driven Kalina cycle is examined to utilize solar energy effectively due to using ammonia–water's varied temperature vaporizing characteristic. In order to ensure a continuous and stable operation for the system, a thermal storage system is introduced to store the collected solar energy and provide stable power when solar radiation is insufficient. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the solar-driven Kalina cycle under steady-state conditions, and a modified system efficiency is defined to evaluate the system performance over a period of time. A parametric analysis is conducted to examine the effects of some key thermodynamic parameters on the system performance. The solar-driven Kalina cycle is also optimized with the modified system efficiency as an objective function by means of genetic algorithm under the given conditions. Results indicate that there exists an optimal turbine inlet pressure under given conditions to maximize the net power output and the modified system efficiency. The net power output and the modified system efficiency are less sensitive to a change in the turbine inlet temperature. An optimal basic solution ammonia fraction can be identified that yields maximum net power output and modified system efficiency. The optimized modified system efficiency is 8.54% under the given conditions.     

Parametric optimization of a solar-driven Braysson heat engine with variable heat capacity of the working fluid and radiation–convection heat losses

An irreversible solar-driven Braysson heat engine system is presented, in which the temperature-dependent heat capacity of the working fluid, the radiation–convection heat losses of the solar collector and the irreversibilities resulting from heat transfer and non-isentropic compression and expansion processes are taken into account. Based on the thermodynamic analysis method and the optimal control theory, the mathematical expression of the overall efficiency of the system is derived and the maximum overall efficiency is calculated, and the operating temperatures of the solar collector and the cyclic working fluid and the ratio of heat-transfer areas of the heat engine are optimized. By using numerical optimization technology, the influences of the variable heat capacity of the working fluid, the radiation–convection heat losses of the solar collector and the multi-irreversibilities on the performance characteristics of the solar-driven heat engine system are investigated and evaluated in detail. Moreover, it is expounded that the optimal performance and important parametric bounds of the irreversible solar-driven Braysson heat engine with the constant heat capacity of the working fluid and the irreversible solar-driven Carnot heat engine can be deduced from the conclusions in the present paper.     

不可逆太阳能热泵系统集热器的最佳工作温度

基于有限时间热力学理论和集热器的线性热损模型，研究了热阻及工质内部不可逆性对太阳能热泵系统优化性能的影响，导出了系统的总性能系数及集热器的最佳工作温度。所得结论可为实际太阳能热泵系统的优化设计提供新的理论。     

基于能量梯级利用的太阳能冷热联供系统

从能量梯级利用的角度出发，提出了一种新型太阳能冷热联供复合系统。该复合系统可根据太阳辐射强度在不同的季节分别用作单一的太阳能热水器、热泵热水器或太阳能吸附式冷热联供复合系统。建立了相应的数学模型，计算了该系统在不同季节各种典型工况下的性能指标。计算结果表明，该系统不仅可实现冷热联供的双重功能，而且具有较大的节能潜力。     

A new zero energy cool chamber with a solar-driven adsorption refrigerator

A new zero energy cool chamber (ZECC) consisting of two cooling systems, a solar-driven adsorption refrigerator and an evaporative cooling system, was developed and then evaluated as low-cost and eco-friendly cooling storage for storing fruit with moderate respiration rates. The solar-driven adsorption refrigerator, consisting of a solar collector containing activated carbon as an adsorbent, a condenser and an evaporator, cools water based by evaporating methanol and adsorbing it on activated carbon, and then makes ice. The methanol adsorbed on the activated carbon is desorbed by applying solar heat. The ice is then used to cool the storage space, which can be done for a long time without the need for electricity. The evaporative cooling system also cools the storage space by evaporating water from the wet walls containing wet filler. The combined use of two cooling systems reduced the average inside temperature of the new ZECC to 12.07 °C compared with an average outside temperature of 31.5 °C and extended the shelf life of tomatoes from 7 to 23 days. These results suggest that the new ZECC proposed here is low-cost and energy-saving and is useful for storing fruit and vegetables in areas where electricity is unavailable.     

Efficiency bound of a solar-driven stirling heat engine system

A solar-driven Stirling engine is modelled as a combined system which consists of a solar collector and a Stirling engine. The performance of the system is investigated, based on the linearized heat loss model of the solar collector and the irreverisible cycle model of the Stirling engine affected by finite-rate heat transfer and regenerative losses. The maximum efficiency of the system and the optimal operating temperature of the solar collector are determined. Moreover, it is pointed out that the investigation method in the present paper is valid for other heat loss models of the solar collector as well, and the results obtained are also valid for a solar-driven Ericsson engine system using an ideal gas as its engine work substance. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An irreversible thermodynamic model for solar absorption refrigerator

A solar refrigerator is made of a solar collector and a refrigeration system. Real solar refrigerators usually operate between two limits, maximum coefficient of performance (COP) and maximum cooling load. A new model is presented to describe an irreversible absorption refrigerator, in which not only the irreversibilities of heat conduction but also those resulting from friction, eddy and other irreversible effects inside the working fluid are considered. The influence of these irreversible effects on the performance of an absorption refrigerator with continuous flow is investigated. The analytical expressions of the optimal refrigeration coefficient and the cooling rate of the refrigerator are derived. The predictions of the model are compared with semi-empirical cycle model of single-stage absorption refrigeration machines. The results obtained here can describe the optimal performance of a four temperature level absorption refrigeration affected simultaneously by the internal and external irreversibilities and provide the theoretical bases for the optimal design and operation of real absorption refrigerators operating between four temperature levels.     

Configuration design and performance optimum analysis of a solar-driven high temperature steam electrolysis system for hydrogen production

A new solar-driven high temperature steam electrolysis system for hydrogen production is presented, in which the main energy consumption processes such as steam electrolysis processes, heat transfer processes, and product compression processes are included. The detailed thermodynamic-electrochemical modeling of the solid oxide steam electrolysis (SOSE) is carried out, and consequently, the electrical and thermal energy required by every energy consumption process are determined. The efficiency of the system is derived, from which the effects of some of the important parameters such as the operating temperature, component thickness of the SOSE, leakage resistance, effectiveness of heat exchangers, and inlet rate of water on the performance of the system are discussed. It is found that the efficiency attains its maximum when a proper current density is chosen. The ratio of the required electric energy to the total energy input of the system is calculated, and consequently, the problem how to rationally operate the solar concentrating beam splitting device is investigated. The results obtained will be helpful for further understanding the optimal design and performance improvement of a practical solar-driven high temperature steam electrolysis system for hydrogen production.     

不可逆吸收式制冷机的经济和生态学优化准则

研究不可逆吸收式制冷机的经济化性能 ,得到一些新的性能参数 ,并揭示了它与生态学优化性能的内在联系。所得结论可为三热源制冷机的优化设计和最佳工况选择等提供些新理论依据。     

混合制冷剂HFC152a/HFC125的电冰箱实验研究

对环保节能制冷剂——二元近共沸混合工质HFCl52a／HFC125在电冰箱上应用的制冷循环性能进行了详细的理论计算和分析，并且对该工质灌注式替代CFC12和HFC152a／HCFC22在不同配比和充灌量下的电冰箱主要制冷性能进行了实验研究。实验结果表明：在合适的配比和充灌量下电冰箱制冷性能指标满足国家标准要求。混合制冷剂HFC152a／HFC125优良的环保性能和冰箱制冷性能使它完全适合做新一代的冰箱制冷剂。     

Design optimization of the flat plate collector for a solid absorption solar refrigerator

A study of the effects of various collector design parameters on the performance of a solar powered solid absorption refrigerator is presented. The refrigerator uses specially treated CaCl₂ as absorbent and NH₃ as refrigerant and operates intermittently in a diurnal cycle. The study is undertaken using version 4.0 of a simulation programme, COSSOR, developed from a transient analysis of the system. A large number of simulations was undertaken to test the performance of the refrigerator for various choices of the collector design parameters. The latter include the plate emissivity and material; absorbent pellet diameter, thermal conductivity and packing density; collector tube size, spacing and material; and number of glazing. The refrigerator performance indicators, namely total condensate yield, mass of ice produced, coefficient of performance and effective cooling, are presented for the range of values of the collector parameters of interest. Using a multiple linear regression technique, the performance indicators are correlated with the collector parameters by simple linear polynomial expressions. An objective function, suitable for selecting optimal values of the parameters, is defined, subject to specified constraints. Optimization was then carried out for the objective function. For the collector with steel tubes and steel plate, the refrigerator coefficient of performance obtained with optimal choices of tube size, spacing and plate emissivity is 0.073, representing an improvement of at least 30% with respect to the reference collector. A similar level of improvement was obtained for a collector with aluminium tubes and plate.     

太阳能喷射/压缩复合制冷循环性能研究

研究了一种太阳能喷射/压缩复合制冷循环,由太阳能集热子系统、喷射制冷子系统及压缩制冷子系统组成,系统充分利用热电两种能源以及两种制冷方法各自的优点,优化喷射制冷子系统工作性能的同时,改善压缩式子系统的工作条件,从而提高复合制冷循环性能的同时节约高品位电能。采用性能较好的高蒸发温度式喷射制冷带走压缩机排气余热具有实际意义。通过数值模拟的手段分析系统性能及其主要影响因素,并优化工作条件。研究表明,与相同工作条件下的单压缩制冷循环相比,复合制冷循环工作日全天候运行时电力性能系数提升约为31.5%,节电优势显著。存在一个最佳的喷射子系统蒸发温度使得复合制冷循环性能系数达到运行工况的最大值。     

Optimal performance characteristics of a solar-driven heat pump at maximum COP

The effect of the irreversibility of finite-rate heat transfer on the performance of a solar-driven heat pump is investigated by using the theory of finite time thermodynamics. Maximizing the COP of the system leads to some novel rules for the optimum choices of primary performance parameters, such as the operating temperatures of the solar collector and the working fluid in the heat exchangers and the heat transfer areas of the heat exchangers. These rules can guide the evaluation of existing real solar-driven heat pumps or influence the design of future solar-driven heat pumps.     

Performance of a prototype Stirling domestic refrigerator

The V-type integral Stirling refrigerator (VISR) consisting of an expansion cylinder, a compression cylinder and a heat exchanger in-between was developed and tested in this research. The expansion and compression pistons are V-shaped and driven by a crank-shift mechanism. A cold head connected to the expansion piston provides the cooling capacity. The refrigerator has a semi-hermetic configuration. The parameters such as the power consumption and the coefficient of performance (COP) are investigated under various rotating speeds and charged pressures. The results would help us for the optimal design and operation of the V-type integral Stirling refrigerator, when it is applied to the domestic refrigeration system. The characteristics curves of the prototype VISR could be applied to other usages.     

内可逆空气制冷机性能的生态学优化

基于[火用]分析的观点，运用有限时间热力学方法对内可逆空气制冷机进行生态学优化，导出了换热器热导最优分配时的最佳制冷功率、熵产率以及生态学（E）目标函数的解析式，进一步求得最大E目标值时的工质等熵温比（压比）界限及相应的制冷系数、制冷功率和熵产率；采用数值计算分析了热源温比、换热器总热导以及高温热源温度和环境温度之比对该制冷机生态学最优性能的影响。结果表明：生态学目标函数不仅反映了[火用]输出率和熵产率之间的最佳折衷，而且也反映了制冷功率和制冷系数之间的最佳折衷。     

Optimal performance of an irreversible refrigerator With three heat sources (IRWTHS)

An IRWTHS may be treated as a combined cycle of a finite-size irreversible Carnot heat engine driving an irreversible Carnot refrigerator. This system is analyzed using finite-time thermodynamics. The combined effects of finite-rate heat transfer and internal dissipation on optimal performance have been investigated.     

Dynamic simulation of a solar-driven carbon dioxide transcritical power system for small scale combined heat and power production

Carbon dioxide is an environmental benign natural working fluid and has been proposed as a working media for a solar-driven power system. In the current work, the dynamic performance of a small scale solar-driven carbon dioxide power system is analyzed by dynamic simulation tool TRNSYS 16 (Klein et al., 2004) and Engineering Equation Solver (EES) (Klein, 2004) using co-solving technique.Both daily performance and yearly performance of the proposed system have been simulated. Different system operating parameters, which will influence the system performance, have been discussed. Under the Swedish climatic condition, the maximum daily power production is about 12 kW h and the maximum monthly power production is about 215 kW h with the proposed system working conditions. Besides the power being produced, the system can also produce about 10 times much thermal energy, which can be used for space heating, domestic hot water supply or driving absorption chillers. The simulation results show that the proposed system is a promising and environmental benign alternative for conventional low-grade heat source utilization system.