Thermodynamic Performance Evaluation of a Solar Parabolic Dish Assisted Multigeneration System

Abstract

The concentration ratio of the parabolic dish solar collector (PDSC) is considered to be one of the highest among the concentrated solar power technologies (CSPs); therefore, such system is capable of generating more heat rate. The present paper focuses on the integration of the PDSC with the combined cycle (gas cycle as the toping cycle and steam cycle as the bottoming cycle) along with the utilization of waste heat from the power cycle to drive the single effect lithium bromide/water absorption cycle. Molten salt is used as a heat transfer fluid in the solar collector. The engineering equation solver (EES) is employed for the mathematical modeling and simulation of the solar integrated system. The various operating parameters (beam radiation, inlet and ambient temperatures of heat transfer fluid, mass flow rate of heat transfer fluid, evaporator temperature, and generator temperature) are varied to analyze their influence on the performance parameters (power output, overall energetic and exergetic efficiencies, outlet temperature of the receiver, and as coefficient of performance (COP) and exergy efficiencies) of the integrated system. The results show that the overall energy and exergy efficiencies are observed to be 39.9% and 42.95% at ambient temperature of 27 °C and solar irradiance of 1000 W/m2. The outlet temperature of the receiver is noticed to decrease from 1008 K to 528 K for an increase in the mass flow rate from 0.01 to 0.05 kg/s. The efficiency rate of the power plant is 38%, whereas COP of single effect absorption system is 0.84, and it will decrease from 0.87 to 0.79. However, the evaporator load is decreased to approximately 9.7% by increasing the generator temperature from 47 °C to 107 °C.