Transient Energy and Exergy Analyses of a Solar Based Integrated System

Abstract

The present study focuses on transient energy and exergy analyses of an integrated heliostat field, gasturbine cycle and organic Rankine cycle system capable of generating power and heat in a carbonfree manner. A parametric study is carried out to ascertain the effect of varying the exit temperature of salt and the pressure ratio (PR) on the net work output, rate of heat lost from the receiver, and energy and exergy efficiencies for 365 days of the year and from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. The results are obtained for the city of Toronto, Canada and indicate that the net work output increases from 1481 to 3339 kW with a rise in the exit salt temperature from 1200 to 1600 K. The energy and exergy efficiencies of the integrated system vary from 0.72 to 0.78 and 0.36 to 0.46, respectively, with a rise in the exit salt temperature. The energy and exergy efficiencies vary from 0.68 to 0.73 and 0.35 to 0.39, respectively, with an increase in the PR from 10 to 20.