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Optimization study of large‐scale low‐grade energy recovery from conventional Rankine cycle power plants
Author(s) -
Mohamed K. M.,
Bettle M. C.,
Gerber A. G.,
Hall J. W.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of energy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.808
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1099-114X
pISSN - 0363-907X
DOI - 10.1002/er.1629
Subject(s) - degree rankine , exergy , rankine cycle , organic rankine cycle , exergy efficiency , engineering , energy recovery , process engineering , heat exchanger , environmental science , power (physics) , waste management , environmental engineering , energy (signal processing) , mechanical engineering , waste heat , mathematics , thermodynamics , statistics , physics
This study evaluates large‐scale low‐grade energy recovery (LS‐LGER) from a conventional coal‐fired Rankine cycle (RC) as a ‘green’ option to offsetting the cost of treating pollution. An energy and exergy analysis of a reference generating station isolates the key areas for investigation into LS‐LGER. This is followed by a second law analysis and a detailed optimization study for a revised RC configuration, which provides a conservative estimate of the possible energy recovery. Cycle optimization based on specific power output, and including compact heat exchanger designs, indicates plant efficiency improvements (with high‐capacity equipment) of approximately 2 percentage points with reduced environmental impact. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.