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Exergy Performance Optimization of an Irreversible Closed Intercooled Regenerative Brayton Cogeneration Plant

  • Research Article - Mechanical Engineering
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Abstract

An irreversible closed intercooled regenerative Brayton heat and power cogeneration plant model coupled to constant-temperature heat reservoirs is established using finite time thermodynamics. On the basis of exergy analysis, the performance of the plant is investigated and optimized. Analytical formulae about dimensionless exergy output rate and exergy efficiency are deduced. The two cases with fixed and variable total pressure ratio are studied, and the intercooling pressure ratio and the total pressure ratio are optimized. Meanwhile, the influences of the irreversible compression and expansion losses, the effectivenesses of the intercooler, regenerator, and consumer-side heat exchanger and the consumer-side temperature on the dimensionless exergy output rate and corresponding exergy efficiency, the optimal intercooling pressure ratio and the optimal total pressure ratio are analyzed by detailed numerical examples. Then, the optimization is carried out further by searching for the optimal intercooling pressure ratio, optimal total pressure ratio and optimal heat conductance distributions among the hot-, cold- and consumer-side heat exchangers, the regenerator and the intercooler together for the fixed total heat conductance. The characteristics of the optimal heat conductance distributions versus irreversible losses and consumer-side temperature are researched. In the analysis and optimization, it is both found that there exists optimal consumer-side temperature.

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Abbreviations

C :

Heat capacity rate (kW/K)

E :

Effectiveness of the heat exchanger

e :

Exergy flow rate (kW)

k :

Ratio of the specific heats

N :

Number of heat transfer units

P :

Power output of the plant (kW)

Q :

Rate of heat transfer (kW)

T :

Temperature (K)

U :

Heat conductance (kW/K)

u h :

Hot-side heat conductance distribution

u i :

Heat conductance distribution of the intercooler

u k :

Consumer-side heat conductance distribution

u l :

Cold-side heat conductance distribution

u r :

Heat conductance distribution of the regenerator

x :

Isentropic temperature ratio for low-pressure compressor

y :

Isentropic temperature ratio for total compression process

\({\eta}\) :

Efficiency

\({\pi_1}\) :

Intercooling pressure ratio

\({\pi}\) :

Total pressure ratio

\({\sigma}\) :

Entropy generation rate of the plant (kW/K)

\({\tau_1}\) :

Ratio of the hot-side heat reservoir temperature to environment temperature

\({\tau_2}\) :

Ratio of the cold-side heat reservoir temperature to environment temperature

\({\tau_3}\) :

Ratio of the intercooling fluid temperature to environment temperature

\({\tau_4}\) :

Ratio of the consumer-side temperature to environment temperature

c :

Compressor

ex:

Exergy

H :

Hot-side

I :

Intercooler

in:

Input

K :

Consumer-side

L :

Cold-side

max:

Maximum

max, 2:

Double-maximum

max, 3:

Thrice-maximum

opt:

Optimal

out:

Output

R :

Regenerator

T :

Total

t :

Turbine

wf:

Working fluid

0:

Ambient

\({\begin{array}{l} 1, 2, 2_s, 3, 4, 4_s5, 6, 6_s, 7, 8, 9 \end{array}}\) :

State points of the cycle

−:

Dimensionless

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Thermal Science and Power Engineering, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan, 430033, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Yang, Lingen Chen, Yanlin Ge & Fengrui Sun

  2. Military Key Laboratory for Naval Ship Power Engineering, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan, 430033, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Yang, Lingen Chen, Yanlin Ge & Fengrui Sun

  3. College of Power Engineering, Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan, 430033, People’s Republic of China

    Bo Yang, Lingen Chen, Yanlin Ge & Fengrui Sun

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  1. Bo Yang
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Correspondence to Lingen Chen.

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Yang, B., Chen, L., Ge, Y. et al. Exergy Performance Optimization of an Irreversible Closed Intercooled Regenerative Brayton Cogeneration Plant. Arab J Sci Eng 39, 6385–6397 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-014-1259-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-014-1259-4

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