Regular Article

Performance investigation of organic Rankine-vapor compression refrigeration integrated system activated by renewable energy

¹ Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Taif University, PO Box 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia
² Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, PO Box 71516, Assiut, Egypt
³ Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Taif University, PO Box 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia
⁴ Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, PO Box 21589, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
⁵ Physics and Engineering Mathematics Department, Faculty of Electronic Engineering, Menoufia University, PO Box 32952, Menouf, Egypt
⁶ Mathematics and Statistics Department, Faculty of Science, Taif University, PO Box 888, Taif, Saudi Arabia

^* e-mail: bahaa_saleh69@yahoo.com

Received: 13 January 2018
Accepted: 22 March 2019

Abstract

In this article, the performance and working fluid selection for an organic Rankine cycle-vapor compression refrigeration (ORC–VCR) integrated system activated by renewable energy is investigated. The performance of the system is described by the system coefficient of performance (COP_S), and the refrigerant mass flow rate per kilowatt refrigeration capacity (m^˙_total). Twenty-three pure substances are proposed as working fluids for the integrated system. The basic integrated system performance is assessed and compared using the proposed working fluids. The basic VCR cycle works between 35 and 0 °C, while the basic ORC works between 35 and 100 °C. The impacts of different operating parameters such as the evaporator, the boiler, and the condenser temperatures on the ORC–VCR system performance are also examined. The results show that the cyclopentane accomplished the highest system performance under all investigated operating conditions. Accordingly, among the examined 23 working fluids, cyclopentane is the most appropriate working fluid for the integrated system from the viewpoints of environmental concerns and system performance. Nevertheless, due to its high flammability, further restrictions should be taken. The basic integrated system COP_S, refrigeration effect, and the corresponding m^˙_total utilizing cyclopentane are 0.654, 361.3 kW, and 0.596 × 10⁻² kg/(s kW), respectively.