•This work regards a review paper about solar linear Fresnel reflectors.•This article includes a review of the designs and of the applications of this collector.•The emphasis is given in the ...concentrators and in the receivers.•The most usual designs are with trapezoidal cavities and evacuated tube receivers.•Many studies are focused on the optimization of the secondary reflector design.
Solar concentrating power is one of the most promising ways of producing clean electricity by utilizing the incident solar irradiation on the earth. Linear Fresnel reflector (LFR) is one of the major concentrating solar systems for producing useful heat in medium and high-temperature levels (<500 °C). The LFR is a low-cost technology which presents sufficient thermal performance and so it is characterized as an interesting and valuable choice for utilizing the solar irradiation. The objective of this work is to summarize the existing designs of LFR and the novel ideas which aim to enhance the LFR performance. These ideas regard the optical and the thermal efficiency increase. Moreover, the LFR is compared with rival technology, the parabolic trough solar collector. The thermal and power applications with the LFR are also studied in this review paper. It is found that the most usual designs regard trapezoidal cavities and evacuated tube receivers. A lot of studies are focused on the optimization of the secondary reflector of the LFR. Moreover, there are interesting ideas about the modification of the primary concentrator in order to increase the optical efficiency. The final conclusions of this work indicate the future trends for this solar system and summarize the existing situation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Power plants constitute the main sources of electricity production, and the calculation of their efficiency is a critical factor that is needed in energy studies. The efficiency improvement of power ...plants through the optimization of the cycle is a critical means of reducing fuel consumption and leading to more sustainable designs. The goal of the present work is the development of semi-empirical models for estimating the thermodynamic efficiency of power cycles. The developed model uses only the lower and the high operating temperature levels, which makes it flexible and easily applicable. The final expression is found by using the literature data for different power cycles, named as: organic Rankine cycles, water-steam Rankine cycles, gas turbines, combined cycles and Stirling engines. According to the results, the real operation of the different cases was found to be a bit lower compared to the respective endoreversible cycle. Specifically, the present global model indicates that the thermodynamic efficiency is a function of the temperature ratio (low cycle temperature to high cycle temperature). The suggested equation can be exploited as a quick and accurate tool for calculating the thermodynamic efficiency of power plants by using the operating temperature levels. Moreover, separate equations are provided for all of the examined thermodynamic cycles.
Since the last decades, solar energy has been used worldwide to overcome foreign dependency on crude oil and to control the pollution due to a limited source of non-renewable energy. Evacuated tube ...solar collectors are the most suitable solar technology for producing useful heat in both low and medium temperature levels. Evacuated tube solar collector is capable of working in hot, mild, cloudy or cold climates where flat plate collector is not an option. The objective of this review paper is the detailed investigation of evacuated tube solar collectors having heat pipe and direct flow are reviewed. All the design parameters which influence the collector performance are investigated and discussed in this work. More specifically, the tracking system, the collector design, the mass flow rate, the optical design and the kind of the working fluid are the main studied parameters. Moreover, this work focuses on the latest developments and advances, providing a review of experimental and numerical studies reported. Lastly, this work presents the future ideas that can be carried out to improve the performance of evacuated tube solar collectors.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The cutting fluid is significant in any metal cutting operation, for cooling the cutting tool and the surface of the workpiece, by lubricating the tool-workpiece interface and removing chips from the ...cutting zone. Recently, many researchers have been focusing on minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) among the numerous methods existing on the application of the coolant as it reduces the usage of coolant by spurting a mixture of compressed air and cutting fluid in an improved way instead of flood cooling. The MQL method has been demonstrated to be appropriate as it fulfills the necessities of ‘green’ machining. In the current study, firstly, various lubrication methods were introduced which are used in machining processes, and then, basic machining processes used in manufacturing industries such as grinding, milling, turning, and drilling have been discussed. The comprehensive review of various nanofluids (NFs) used as lubricants by different researchers for machining process is presented. Furthermore, some cases of utilizing NFs in machining operations have been reported briefly in a table. Based on the studies, it can be concluded that utilizing NFs as coolant and lubricant lead to lower tool temperature, tool wear, higher surface quality, and less environmental dangers. However, the high cost of nanoparticles, need for devices, clustering, and sediment are still challenges for the NF applications in metalworking operations. At last, the article identifies the opportunities for using NFs as lubricants in the future. It should be stated that this work offers a clear guideline for utilizing MQL and MQL-nanofluid approaches in machining processes. This guideline shows the physical, tribological, and heat transfer mechanisms associated with employing such cooling/lubrication approaches and their effects on different machining quality characteristics such as tool wear, surface integrity, and cutting forces.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The thermal enhancement of parabolic trough collectors is a critical issue and numerous ideas have been applied in the literature on this domain. The objective of this paper is to investigate some ...usual thermal enhancement techniques for improving the performance of evacuated and non-evacuated receivers of parabolic trough solar collectors. More specifically, the use of twisted tape inserts, perforated plate inserts, and internally finned absorbers are compared with the reference case of the smooth absorber. The analysis is conducted with a developed and validated thermal model in Engineering Equation Solver. The collector is investigated for a typical flow rate of 100 L/min and for inlet temperatures between 50 °C and 350 °C with Syltherm 800 as working fluid. According to the final results, the use of internally finned absorber leads to the highest thermal efficiency enhancement, which is up to 2.1% for the non-evacuated collector and up to 1.6% for the evacuated tube collector. The perforated plate inserts and the twisted tape inserts were found to lead to lower enhancements, which are up to 1.8% and 1.5%, respectively, for the non-evacuated collector, while they are up to 1.4% and 1.2%, respectively, for the evacuated collector. Moreover, the pressure drop increase with the use of the thermal enhancement methods is investigated and the use of internally finned absorber is found again to be the superior technique with the performance evaluation criterion to be ranged from 1.5 to 1.8 for this case.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The objective of this work was to optimize and to evaluate a solar-driven trigeneration system which operates with nanofluid-based parabolic trough collectors. The trigeneration system includes an ...organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and an absorption heat pump operating with LiBr-H2O which is powered by the rejected heat of the ORC. Toluene, n-octane, Octamethyltrisiloxane (MDM) and cyclohexane are the examined working fluids in the ORC. The use of CuO and Al2O3 nanoparticles in the Syltherm 800 (base fluid) is investigated in the solar field loop. The analysis is performed with Engineering Equation Solver (EES) under steady state conditions in order to give the emphasis in the exergetic optimization of the system. Except for the different working fluid investigation, the system is optimized by examining three basic operating parameters in all the cases. The pressure in the turbine inlet, the temperature in the ORC condenser and the nanofluid concentration are the optimization variables. According to the final results, the combination of toluene in the ORC with the CuO nanofluid is the optimum choice. The global maximum exergetic efficiency is 24.66% with pressure ratio is equal to 0.7605, heat rejection temperature 113.7 °C and CuO concentration 4.35%.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The utilization of solar irradiation in the building sector is vital to create sustainable systems. Trigeneration systems are highly efficient systems that usually produce electricity, heating and ...cooling which are the main energy needs in the buildings. The objective of this work is the energetic and financial investigation of three different solar-driven trigeneration systems that can be applied in buildings with high energy needs (e.g., hospitals or commercial buildings). The parabolic trough solar collector (PTC) is selected to be used because it is the most mature solar concentrating technology. The examined configurations practically are different combinations of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with heat pumps. System 1 includes a PTC coupled to an ORC which feeds an absorption heat pump machine. System 2 includes a PTC which simultaneously feeds an ORC and absorption machine. System 3 includes a PTC which feeds an ORC and a heat exchanger for heating, while the ORC is fed with and electricity a vapor compression cycle for cooling production. The simple payback period of System 1 is 5.62 years and it is the lowest, with System 2 to have 7.82 years and System 3 to have 8.49 years. The energy efficiency of the three systems is 78.17%, 43.30% and 37.45%, respectively, while the exergy efficiency 15.94%, 13.08% and 12.25%, respectively. System 1 is the best configuration according to energy, exergy and financial analysis. This study is performed with developed thermodynamic models in Engineering Equation Solver and a dynamic model in FORTRAN.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
This article presents a simulation study which focuses on the thermodynamic analysis of a solar-driven trigeneration system for heating, cooling, and electricity production. The system uses parabolic ...trough collectors operating with Therminol VP-1 for feeding an organic Rankine cycle operating with toluene and an absorption heat pump operating with a LiBr–H2O working pair. The collecting area is selected at 100 m2 and the storage tank at 4 m3. The system is studied parametrically in order to examine the impact of various parameters on the system energy efficiency, system exergy efficiency, electricity production, heating production, and cooling production in the simple payback period of the investment. The examined parameters are the following: solar beam irradiation level, solar beam irradiation angle, superheating degree in the turbine inlet, pressure level in the turbine inlet, heat source temperature level, generator temperature level, and the heat input in the generator. For the nominal case of a 15 kW generator input, the electricity production is 6.3 kW, the heating production 11.5 kW, and the cooling production 10.7 kW. The system energy efficiency is 40.7%, while the system exergy efficiency is 12.7%. The financial investigation of the investment proved that it is viable with the simple payback period to be 8.1 years in the nominal case and it can be reduced to 7.8 years with an optimization procedure. Lastly, it has to be said that the examined system is found to be a viable configuration which is an ideal choice for application in the building sector. The analysis was conducted under steady-state conditions with a model developed using Engineering Equation Solver (EES).
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The refrigeration systems with CO2 seem to be attractive choices for the design of refrigeration systems with small environmental impact. The objective of this work is the comparison of different ...transcritical CO2 refrigeration systems and the determination of the most promising configurations. A typical system (evaporator, compressor, gas cooler, expansion valve) is the reference system and it is compared with a system with internal heat exchanger, a parallel compression system, a two-stage compression system and a system with mechanical subcooling after the gas collector. The examined systems produce refrigeration at one temperature level and they are examined for various operation scenarios. More specifically, the refrigeration temperature is examined from −35 °C to +5 °C, while the condenser temperature (or the gas cooler outlet temperature) from 35 °C to 50 °C. The analysis is conducted with developed models in Engineering Equation Solver (EES). According to the results, all the examined systems are more efficient than the reference system for all the examined scenarios. The system with the mechanical subcooling and the two-stage compression system are found to be the most efficient choices with a mean coefficient of performance enhancement at 75.8% and 49.8% respectively. Keywords: CO2 refrigerant, Mechanical subcooling, Parallel compression, Two-stage compression, CO2 cycles comparison
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The objective of the present study is the parametric investigation of a ground source heat pump for space heating purposes with boreholes. The working fluid in the heat pump is CO2, and the ...geothermal field includes boreholes with vertical heat exchangers (U-tube). This study is conducted with a developed model in Engineering Equation Solver which is validated with data from the literature. Ten different parameters are investigated and more specifically five parameters about the heat pump cycle and five parameters for the geothermal unit. The heat pump’s examined parameters are the high pressure, the heat exchanger effectiveness, the temperature level in the heater outlet, the flow rate of the geothermal fluid in the evaporator and the heat exchanger thermal transmittance in the evaporator. The other examined parameters about the geothermal unit are the ground mean temperature, the grout thermal conductivity, the inner diameter of the U-tube, the number of the boreholes and the length of every borehole. In the nominal design, it is found that the system’s coefficient of performance is 4.175, the heating production is 10 kW, the electricity consumption is 2.625 kW, and the heat input from the geothermal field is 10.23 kW. The overall resistance of the borehole per length is 0.08211 mK/W, while there are 4 boreholes with borehole length at 50 m. The parametric analysis shows the influence of the ten examined parameters on the system’s performance and on the geothermal system characteristics. This work can be used as a reference study for the design and the investigation of future geothermal-driven CO2 heat pumps.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK