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Advanced Design of Power Generation Cycle with Cold Utilization from LNG

  • Research Article-Petroleum Engineering
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Abstract

The current study examines the potential of utilizing the cold energy stored in liquefied natural gas (LNG) for power generation. Approximately 830 kJ/kg of the energy needed to produce LNG must be stored as cold energy, and regasification terminals can utilize this cold energy for a variety of purposes, including power generation. While the efficiency and net power gain of power generation cycles utilizing cold LNG usage have both increased, there is still room for improvement. An analysis of four alternative systems, combining the Rankine cycles (RC) and the direct expansion cycle (DEC), was conducted to determine the net power production and efficiencies of the system. The findings demonstrate that when the DEC and RCs are combined, net power gain and power cycle efficiency increase substantially. The DEC and single-stage stage RC have efficiency values of 21.05% and 23.38%, respectively, whereas the efficiencies of the four alternative combinations are 38.78%, 34.93%, 47.52%, and 47.23%. Maximum efficiency and net power gain were achieved when preheated DEC and multistage RCs were coupled. R-1150 was found to produce the best results when 11 different working fluids were examined for the given conditions with single-stage Rankine cycles. This indicates that condensation temperature has a significant influence on the cycle’s effectiveness. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the working fluid pressure, LNG mass flow rate, and turbine output pressure are crucial variables to achieve the best outcomes. Finally, the economic study demonstrated the viability of the suggested power system.

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Data Availability

This is the research paper, and all data are properly cited. All data are available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

W :

Power (kW)

\(\eta \) :

Efficiency (%)

Q :

Heat transfer rate (kW)

i :

Number of stages

net :

Net value

th :

Thermal

in :

Input

out :

Output

\({\text {NG}}\) :

Natural gas

\({\text {LNG}}\) :

Liquefied natural gas

\({\text {CULNG}}\) :

Cold utilization of LNG

\({\text {DEC}}\) :

Direct expansion cycle

\({\text {RC}}\) :

Rankine cycle

\({\text {ORC}}\) :

Organic Rankine cycle

\({\text {NPG}}\) :

Net power gain

T :

Turbine

E :

Heat exchanger

P :

Pump

\({\text {INR}}\) :

Indian Rupees

\({\text {USD}}\) :

US Dollar

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Author notes

  1. P. Vijay and Karhikraja Pandian have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Energy Cluster, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Bidholi Via Premnagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, 248007, India

    Bhalchandra Shingan & Karhikraja Pandian

  2. Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT World Peace University, Kothrud, Pune, Maharashtra, 411038, India

    P. Vijay

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  1. Bhalchandra Shingan
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Correspondence to Bhalchandra Shingan.

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Shingan, B., Vijay, P. & Pandian, K. Advanced Design of Power Generation Cycle with Cold Utilization from LNG. Arab J Sci Eng 48, 16973–16988 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-023-08301-x

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