Thermoeconomic optimization of a Kalina cycle for a central receiver concentrating solar power plant

Abstract

Concentrating solar power plants use a number of reflecting mirrors to focus and convert the incident solar energy to heat, and a power cycle to convert this heat into electricity. This paper evaluates the use of a high temperature Kalina cycle for a central receiver concentrating solar power plant with direct vapour generation and without storage. The use of the ammonia-water mixture as the power cycle working fluid with non-isothermal evaporation and condensation presents the potential to improve the overall performance of the plant.This however comes at a price of requiring larger heat exchangers because of lower thermal pinch and heat transfer degradation for mixtures as compared with using a pure fluid in a conventional steam Rankine cycle, and the necessity to use a complex cycle arrangement.Most of the previous studies on the Kalina cycle focused solely on the thermodynamic aspects of the cycle, thereby comparing cycles which require different investment costs. In this study, the economic aspect and the part-load performance are also considered for a thorough evaluation of the Kalina cycle. A thermoeconomic optimization was performed by minimizing the levelized cost of electricity. The different Kalina cycle simulations resulted in the levelized costs of electricity between 212.2 $ MWh −1 and 218.9 $ MWh −1 . For a plant of same rated capacity, the state-of-the-art steam Rankine cycle has a levelized cost of electricity of 181.0 $ MWh −1 . Therefore, when considering both the thermodynamic and the economic perspectives, the results suggest that it is not beneficial to use the Kalina cycle for high temperature concentrating solar power plants.

Thermo‐Economic Analysis and Optimization of Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage (A‐CAES) System Coupled with a Kalina Cycle

“…The fluid after the low‐pressure condenser is called the basic solution and the fluid produced from the separator top is named rich solution, which will be mixed in the high pressure condenser with a part of the basic solution from the diverter (D1) in order to reach the appropriate ammonia mass fraction in the working solution (stream 21, 25). Finally, the working solution is pressurized using a high‐pressure pump (stream 28 to 15) and then enters the evaporator to absorb the thermal energy from the hot oil (stream 15 to 16) …”

“…In general, the above‐mentioned studies mainly focus on studying TES performance, however, achieving more power output as well as stable and economical operation under high efficiency conditions have become the basic requirements for A‐CAES system . For that, the Kalina cycle, which is used as a bottoming cycle to enhance energy conversion efficiency by recovering waste heat from gas turbines, diesel engines, or industrial processes, is employed in an A‐CAES system . Based on the principle of cascade energy utilization, using the Kalina cycle first consumes the thermal energy stored in TES, and then the rest of thermal energy, which may be waste in conventional energy system, will be absorbed by air turbine with high air inlet pressure.…”

Optimization of a Heliostat Field Layout on Annual Basis Using a Hybrid Algorithm Combining Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm and Genetic Algorithm

“…The investment of the heliostat filed can be calculated by [31,32]: [31]. Therefore, the annual ECUC can be obtained:…”

A Realistic Approach of the Maximum Work Extraction from Solar Thermal Collectors

“…In this case, the maximum possible extracted work is calculated according to Equation (1), which is similar to the Carnot efficiency [13]:…”

“…Solar energy is a promising renewable energy source that is able to substitute the use of fossil fuel to a large degree [1,2]. Recently, more and more studies have been carried out in order to optimize the operation of solar thermal systems, and especially the concentrating solar power plants [3][4][5].…”