Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of low-boiling fluid parameters in a turboexpander

The article examines the possibility of increasing the efficiency of the turbo-expander cycles on low-boiling working fluids using those methods that are used for steam turbines, viz. increasing the parameters of the working fluid before the turbo-expander and using secondary overheating. Thus, four schemes of the turbo-expander cycle are considered: the one without overheating of the low-boiling working fluid, the one with single overheating of low-boiling fluid, the one with double overheating and the one with double overheating at supercritical parameters. All the studied cycles were considered with a heat exchanger at the outlet of the turbo expander, designed to heat the condensate of a low-boiling working fluid formed in the condenser of the turbo expander unit. Cycles in P–h coordinates were built for the studied schemes. The method of thermodynamic analysis of the studied cycles based on the exergetic efficiency has been developed. The results of the research are presented in the form of Grassman-Shargut diagrams, which show exergy losses in the elements of the studied cycles on a scale, and also show the positive effect of the operation of the turbo-expander cycle in the form of electrical power. The analysis of the obtained results showed that the main losses that have a significant impact on the exergy efficiency are the losses of exergy in the recovery boiler. The increase of parameters of low-boiling working body, and the use of intermediate superheating reduce losses in the waste heat boiler and, consequently, increases exergetic efficiency of turbo-expander cycle. The turbo-expander cycle with double overheating at supercritical parameters of the low-boiling fluid is of the largest exergetic efficiency out of the schemes that have been examined.

Turbo-Expander Units on Low Boiling Working Fluids

Ovsyannik

Kliuchinski

2021

Thermodynamic Analysis and Optimization of Secondary Overheating Parameters in Turbo-Expander Plants on Low Boiling Working Fluids

Овсянник

Ключинский

2021

The paper presents a thermodynamic analysis of secondary overheating in turbo-expander plants on low-boiling working fluids. The possibility of optimizing the parameters of the working fluid in a secondary stem superheater has been studied. The research was carried out for two typical turbo-expander cycles: with a heat exchanger at the outlet of the turbo-expander, intended for cooling an overheated low-boiling working fluid, and without a heat exchanger. Cycles in T–s coordinates were constructed for the studied schemes. The influence of pressure and temperature in the intermediate superheater on the exergetic efficiency of the turbo-expander unit was studied. Thus, the dependences of the exergetic efficiency and losses on the elements of the turbo-expander cycle are obtained when the temperature of the working fluid changes and pressure of the working fluid not changes in the intermediate superheater, and when the pressure changes and the temperature does not change. As a low-boiling working fluid, the ozone-safe freon R236EA is considered, which has a “dry” saturation line characteristic, zero ozone layer destruction potential, and a global warming potential equal to 1370. It has been determined that increasing the parameters of the low-boiling working fluid in front of the low-pressure turbo expander (regardless of the scheme of the turbo expander cycle) does not always cause an increase in the exergetic efficiency. Thus, overheating of the working fluid at a pressure exceeding the critical pressure causes a positive exergetic effect, but for each temperature there is an optimal pressure at which the efficiency will be maximum. At a pressure below the critical pressure, overheating leads to a decrease in the exergetic efficiency, and the maximum exergetic effect is achieved in the absence of a secondary steam superheater. All other things being equal, a turbo-expander cycle with a heat exchanger is more efficient than without it over the entire temperature range and pressure of the low-boiling working fluid under study.

Selection, Calculation and Thermodynamic Analysis of Turbine Units Based on the Organic Rankine Cycle

Ovsyannik

Kliuchinski

2022

A program has been developed for the selection, calculation and thermodynamic analysis of turbine units based on the organic Rankine cycle, which makes it possible to determine the values of the optimal parameters of the working fluid, as well as to select the working fluid with the highest exergetic efficiency for cycles on superheated steam and with intermediate overheating. The structure of the developed mathematical model for thermodynamic analysis is presented. The studies were conducted at pressures up to 20 MPa and temperatures of the working fluid in front of the turbine up to 250 °C; the temperature of the working fluid at the outlet of the condenser was 25 °C, while the maximum temperature of the working fluid at the outlet of the intermediate superheater was 250 °C. The analysis of the results showed that the use of reheating in the organic Rankine cycle – as well as in the classical (i. e. steam turbine) one – led to higher exergic efficiency of the cycle. On average, for the studied working media, the increase in exergetic efficiency at optimal parameters of the working body was 4.28 %. However, some working media significantly exceeded this result (for example, 8.14 and 6.56 % for R717 and R32, respectively) due to their thermophysical properties. The error for all low-boiling working media did not exceed 2 % of the obtained result of exergetic efficiency. Grassmann – Shargut charts were made for the studied circuits using the example of the refrigerant R245FA. Exergetic analysis demonstrated that intermediate overheating at thermodynamically optimal parameters of the working media before the high and low pressure parts of the turbine causes a decrease in exergy losses in the heat recovery boiler, a significant increase in regeneration in the heat exchanger, an increase in exergy losses in the pump and their redistribution in the turbine unit, heat exchanger and condenser.