Increasing the efficiency of low-temperature power plants by selecting the optimal working fluid of the auxiliary circuit

Abstract

The article discusses one of the ways to improve the efficiency of low-temperature power plants. Selection of the working substance for the auxiliary low-temperature power circuit is a relevant option for increasing the power. The low temperature potential of cryogenic substances is used to improve the efficiency of energy systems. Auxiliary power plants operating according to the Rankine cycle and the Brayton cycle were used in the work since these cycles are most efficient for the operation of auxiliary low-temperature power plants. The following low-temperature cryogenic substances were chosen for the power plant operating according to the Rankine cycle: argon, difluorochloromethane, trifluoromethane, tetrafluoromethane, ethylene, ethane. For the power plant operating according to the Brayton cycle we chose ethylene, trifluorochloromethane, tetrafluoromethane. According to the results of calculations, as well as according to the results of analyzing the dependence of power on the degree of increasing the pressure, we suggest several cryogenic substances that show the best performance among the considered working fluids.

Keywords

• cryogenic power plant
• working fluid