Energy and Exergy Analyses of a Combined Power Cycle Using the Organic Rankine Cycle and the Cold Energy of Liquefied Natural Gas

Abstract

In this work, energy and exergy analyses are carried out for a combined cycle consisting of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) Rankine cycle for the recovery of low-grade heat sources and LNG cold energy. The effects of the turbine inlet pressure and the working fluid on the system performance are theoretically investigated. A modified temperature-enthalpy diagram is proposed, which can be useful to see the characteristics of the combined cycle, as well as the temperature distributions in the heat exchangers. Results show that the thermal efficiency increases with an increasing turbine inlet pressure and critical temperature of the working fluid. However, the exergy efficiency has a peak value with respect to the turbine inlet pressure, and the maximum exergy efficiency and the corresponding optimum turbine inlet pressure are significantly influenced by the selection of the working fluid. The exergy destruction at the condenser is generally the greatest among the exergy destruction components of the system.