Off-design performance analysis of a solar-powered organic Rankine cycle

Performance evaluation of a thermodynamic system under off-design conditions is very important for reliable and cost-effective operation. In this study, an off-design model of an organic Rankine cycle driven by solar energy is established with compound parabolic collector (CPC) to collect the solar radiation and thermal storage unit to achieve the continuous operation of the overall system. The system off-design behavior is examined under the change in environment temperature, as well as thermal oil mass flow rates of vapor generator and CPC. In addition, the off-design performance of the system is analyzed over a whole day and in different months. The results indicate that a decrease in environment temperature, or the increases in thermal oil mass flow rates of vapor generator and CPC could improve the off-design performance. The system obtains the maximum average exergy efficiency in December and the maximum net power output in June or in September. Both the net power output and the average exergy efficiency reach minimum values in August. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.