International Journal of Thermofluids (Nov 2024)
Comprehensive Analysis of a Hybrid Solar Assisted Supercritical CO2 Reheat Recompression Brayton Cycle for Enhanced Performance
Abstract
The global energy demand is increasing consistently, paralleled by rising greenhouse gas emissions. The worldwide drive to mitigate CO2 emissions in power generation has prompted countries to prioritize low carbon emission technologies such as renewable energy along with performance improvements. However, despite the appeal of solar power in sun-rich regions, the intermittent nature of this source poses an impediment to the electricity grid. Following renewables, pricey and high-demand natural fuel power is anticipated to serve a complementary role in addressing these contemporary issues. This study proposes integrating the sCO2 Brayton cycle with concentrated solar power as a novel resolution to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels while focusing on the economic and environmental concerns and maintaining a reliable power supply to meet the pressing need. The power cycle deviates from conventional cycles by incorporating both renewable and non-renewable energy sources to reduce reliance on the latter, addressing concerns related to fuel depletion. This study offers a thorough analysis of the energy and exergy aspects within the integrated system, integrating parametric optimization across various operational conditions. The findings reveals that the parametric optimization has enhanced the system's efficiency to approximately 55.45 %, leading to in a maximal power output of approximately 56.65 MW with a 10-15 % reduction in fuel consumption, depending on the available DNI across various regions. In addition, the research evaluates the dynamic performance of the integrated cycle under various seasonal conditions, highlighting the summer season being emerged as the most favorable period with 14.58 % fuel reduction. Overall, the results of this study suggest a promising economic trajectory by lessening the environmental consequences, while ensuring reliable and efficient power generation that might be a feasible option in arid regions with limited water and fossil fuel resources.
