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Abstract:A model to evaluate the performance of a solar powered regenerative Organic Rankine Cycle (R-ORC) using five dry organic fluids: RC318, R227ea, R236ea, R236fa, and R218, is presented in this paper. The system is evaluated in two locations in the U.S.: Jackson, MS and Tucson, AZ. The weather data for each location is used to determine the heat available from the solar collector that could be used by the R-ORC to generate power. Results from the R-ORC performance are compared with a basic ORC using first and second law criteria as well as primary energy consumption (PEC) and carbon dioxide emission (CDE) savings for both locations. An economic analysis to determine the maximum capital cost for a desired payback period is presented in this paper. A parametric analysis is also performed to study the effect of the turbine efficiency as well as the open feed organic fluid heater intermediate pressure on the system performance. Results indicate that the R-ORC is able to generate more power than the basic ORC for some of the selected working fluids. For the R-ORC, R236ea is the working fluid that show the best performance among the evaluated fluids under the modeled conditions. On the other hand, the basic ORC with R236ea as the working fluid outperformed three of the fluids in the R-ORC. Also, the R-ORC evaluated in Tucson, AZ is able to generate more power, to provide more PEC and CDE savings, and had a higher available capital cost than the R-ORC evaluated in in Jackson, MS.

Abstract:This paper presents an analysis to determine the economic, energetic, and environmental benefits that could be obtained from the implementation of a combined solar-power organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with electric energy storage (EES) to supply electricity to several commercial buildings including a large office, a small office, and a full service restaurant. The operational strategy for the ORC-EES system consists in the ORC charging the EES when the irradiation level is sufficient to generate power, and the EES providing electricity to the building when there is not irradiation (i.e., during night time). Electricity is purchased from the utility grid unless it is provided by the EES. The potential of the proposed system to reduce primary energy consumption (PEC), carbon dioxide emission (CDE), and cost was evaluated. Furthermore, the available capital cost for a variable payback period for the ORC-EES system was determined for each of the evaluated buildings. The effect of the number of solar collectors on the performance of the ORC-EES is also studied. Results indicate that the proposed ORC-EES system is able to satisfy 11%, 13%, and 18% of the electrical demand for the large office, the small office and the restaurant, respectively.

Solar-powered organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is considered as a promising technology and has the potential to provide clean electric energy. Extensive studies on the design of ORC systems have been conducted and reported in the literature. However, few studies have presented the influence of climate zones on the performance of a solar-powered ORC, especially for an integrated ORC and energy storage system. This paper presents an analysis to determine the performance of solar-powered ORCs with electric energy storage (EES) systems to supply electricity to buildings in different climate zones in the United States. The building type evaluated in this paper is a large office, and the energy consumption of the facility in each climate location was determined using EnergyPlus. The ORC-EES operational strategy used in this investigation is described as follows: when solar irradiation is adequate to produce power, the ORC charges the EES. Then, when there is no solar energy available, the EES provides power to the building. The ORC-EES is evaluated based on the potential to reduce the operational cost, the primary energy consumption, and the carbon dioxide emission. Furthermore, the influence of the number of solar collectors and the EES size on the performance of the ORC-EES system is investigated.

Solar-powered organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a promising technology and has the potential to provide clean electric energy. Extensive studies on the design of ORC systems have been conducted and reported in the literature. However, very few studies have presented the influence of the climate zones on the performance of a solar-powered ORC, especially for an integrated ORC and energy storage system. This paper presents an analysis to determine the performance of a solar-powered ORC with electric energy storage (EES) to supply electricity to a building in different climate zones in the United States. The building type evaluated in this paper is a large office, and the energy consumption of the facility in each climate location was determined using EnergyPlus. The ORC-EES operational strategy used in this investigation consists of the ORC charging the EES when solar irradiation is sufficient to generate power. Then the EES provides power to the building when there is no solar energy available. The ORC-EES is evaluated based on the potential to reduce the operational cost, the primary energy consumption, and the carbon dioxide emission. Furthermore, the effect of the number of solar collectors and the EES size on the performance of the ORC-EES system is also studied.