Search results for "Thermal"

Thermodynamic-based cost allocation in low-temperature thermal grids in presence of distributed energy producers

2022

Thermal grids are well-established technologies that can cover the thermal demands of buildings in a more sustainable way. The lower operating temperature will allow not only for the integration of heat produced by thermal renewable energy sources but also for the storage of surplus electricity from the grid using power to heat technologies. To ensure a wider diffusion of this technology, it is important to propose a method for the cost allocation among producers connected to the grid. In this regard, this paper proposes Exergoeconomics as a possible solution. To show the capabilities of the method, some operating scenarios are compared for a cluster of five buildings in the tertiary sector…

INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS OF EXERGY ANALYSIS AND THERMOECONOMICS IN CHEMICAL, THERMAL AND COOLING ENERGY CONVERSION SYSTEMS

Since 70s, the world has been becoming more and more concerned about energy and environmental issues. The need of meeting the current energy demand by guaranteeing the ability of future generation to satisfy theirs have been pushing research not only to exploit alternative energy sources such as renewable energies, but also to improve the efficiency of energy conversion systems. To this regard, developing systems that use efficiently energy is of paramount importance especially in those countries which rely on non-renewable energy sources such as oil, natural gas, and coal. In fact, the reduction of energy consumption will lead not only to the saving of unrestorable and limited energy resou…

Assessing the Robustness of Thermoeconomic Diagnosis of Fouled Evaporators: Sensitivity Analysis of the Exergetic Performance of Direct Expansion Coi…

2016

Thermoeconomic diagnosis of refrigeration systems is a pioneering approach to the diagnosis of malfunctions, which has been recently proven to achieve good performances for the detection of specific faults. Being an exergy-based diagnostic technique, its performance is influenced by the trends of exergy functions in the “design” and “abnormal” conditions. In this paper the sensitivity of performance of thermoeconomic diagnosis in detecting a fouled direct expansion coil and quantifying the additional consumption it induces is investigated; this fault is critical due to the simultaneous air cooling and dehumidification occurring in the coil, that induce variations in both the chemical and th…

Trigeneration and Polygeneration Configurations for Desalination and Other Beneficial Processes

2018

Abstract The integration of renewable energy sources (geothermal, biomass, and solar) and desalination systems into novel polygeneration plants is investigated. Two main arrangements are considered: geothermal (GP) and biomass (BP) polygeneration. Both systems include concentrating photovoltaic/thermal solar collectors, a multieffect distillation system for seawater desalination, a single-effect LiBr-H2O absorption chiller, storage tanks, heat exchangers, balance-of-plant devices; a biomass auxiliary heater and geothermal wells are also included, in BP and GP, respectively. The systems can provide electricity and hot water, used for space heating, cooling, domestic hot water production, and…

Thermal analysis and new insights to support decision making in retrofit and relaxation of heat exchanger networks

2011

International audience; Pinch analysis offers a rational framework for identifying energy saving targets and designing efficient heat recovery networks, especially in process industry. Several scientists have contributed to improve and automate the original pinch method over the last decades, increasing its capability to deal with a number of specific issues; the expertise of the analyst, however, remains determinant in achieving optimal results. In this paper a procedure for retrofit of existing networks is proposed, based on an integrate use of several techniques (either existing or innovative). The diagnosis of the existing network and of a "Minimum Energy Requirement" configuration emer…

Application of advanced thermodynamics, thermoeconomics and exergy costing to a Multiple Effect Distillation plant: In-depth analysis of cost formati…

2015

Abstract The high thermal energy consumption per m3 fresh water is one of the main barriers to the spread of thermally driven desalination processes and has limited their use to applications in countries with high reserves of fossil fuels or to specific technological solutions like dual purpose cogeneration plants and solar desalination systems. Being energy conversion efficiency a major issue to improve the performance of thermally driven desalination plants, thermoeconomic analysis has been attracting the efforts of researchers for the identification of margins for process improvement. In this paper a rigorous exergy and thermoeconomic analysis is presented for an 8 effect forward feed Mu…

Thermoeconomic optimization of a renewable polygeneration system serving a small isolated community

2015

During the last years, special attention has been paid to renewable polygeneration technologies, able of simultaneously producing thermal, cooling, electrical energy and desalinated water from seawater. This paper focuses on an innovative polygeneration system driven by renewable energy sources, including the following technologies: hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors, concentrating parabolic trough (CPVT), a biomass heater, a single-stage absorption chiller and a multiple-effect distillation desalination system. The system is designed to cover the base load of an isolated small community. In previous papers, the dynamic simulation model about plant operation is discussed. In this paper,…

Exergetic and exergoeconomic analysis of a renewable polygeneration system and viability study for small isolated communities

2015

Abstract A great interest has recently arisen for the sustainable supply of energy and fresh water, due to the growing demand from developing countries. Facing this demand by traditional technologies implies evident risks related with the high cost of fossil fuels and their environmental impact. Then, alternative solutions based on the use of renewable sources and innovative technologies must be considered. In this paper a renewable polygeneration system is examined, which includes a solar field based on parabolic trough photovoltaic/thermal collectors, a biomass heater, an absorption chiller and a Multiple Effect Distillation desalination unit. Plant operation under dynamic conditions has …

Life cycle energy and environmental impacts of a solid oxide fuel cell micro-CHP system for residential application

2019

Abstract Fuel cells are considered one of the key technologies to reach the ambitious European goal of a low carbon economy, by reducing CO2 emissions and limiting the production of other pollutants. The manuscript presents an assessment of the life cycle energy and environmental performances of a solid oxide fuel cell system for household applications using primary data from the manufacturing phase and experimental data for the start-up and operation phases. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology is applied, based on a functional unit of 1 MJ of exergy and includes the life cycle steps from the raw materials extraction to the maintenance. The results show a particular relevance of the opera…

Exergy analysis and thermoeconomic cost accounting of a Combined Heat and Power steam cycle integrated with a Multi Effect Distillation-Thermal Vapou…

2017

Abstract In this paper an exergy analysis and thermoeconomic cost accounting of a Combined Heat and Power steam cycle integrated with Multi Effect Distillation-Thermal Vapour Compression plant is performed; the goal of the study is to show how these methodologies provide a rational criterion to allocate production costs on electricity and freshwater in such a dual purpose system. After a brief overview on the methodology and a description of reference plant, exergy analysis is carried out to calculate exergy flows and exergy efficiencies at component level. A detailed description of the adopted thermoeconomic model is given. In a first scenario, cost accounting is performed assuming that th…