Thermo-economic-environmental optimization of a liquid separation condensation-based organic Rankine cycle driven by waste heat

Abstract Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a promising thermal-to-power conversion technology utilizing low enthalpy renewable resources or waste heat energy. The coupling of environmental impact analysis and thermo-economic optimization is effective in evaluating and improving the comprehensive performance of the ORC. In the present study, a thermo-economic-environmental analysis and optimization methodology is proposed for the design of a waste heat driven ORC. A multi-objective mathematical programming model integrating the environmental impact and thermo-economic performance is formulated for the simultaneous optimization of the component configurations and operation parameters for a waste heat driven ORC. The objective functions include the minimization of the environmental impact and the maximization of the net power output. The specific investment cost is used to evaluate the economic performance of the ORC. A previous developed solution strategy is applied to solve the single objective optimization problem and the e-constrained method is applied to solve the multi-objective optimization model. A case study is elaborated to test the proposed methodology and the formulated model. The single objective optimization results demonstrate the contradiction between the environmental objective and the thermo-economic objective. The trade-off solutions are achieved by multi-objective optimization. The Pareto-frontier is elaborated to show how the material allocation, component configuration, and operation parameters are influenced by the objective functions. Finally, a sensitivity analysis of the life cycle inventory of raw materials on the optimization results is conducted.

[1]  V. Dolz,et al.  Experimental and thermodynamic analysis of a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) of gasoline engine using swash-plate expander , 2015 .

[2]  Giovanna Cavazzini,et al.  Techno-economic feasibility study of the integration of a commercial small-scale ORC in a real case study , 2015 .

[3]  Patrick Linke,et al.  On the systematic design and selection of optimal working fluids for Organic Rankine Cycles , 2010 .

[4]  Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez,et al.  Application of life cycle assessment to the structural optimization of process flowsheets , 2007 .

[5]  George Mavrotas,et al.  Effective implementation of the epsilon-constraint method in Multi-Objective Mathematical Programming problems , 2009, Appl. Math. Comput..

[6]  Tzu-Chen Hung,et al.  Thermoeconomic comparison between pure and mixture working fluids of organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) for low temperature waste heat recovery , 2015 .

[7]  Ying Chen,et al.  Performance comparison of the liquid–vapor separation, parallel flow, and serpentine condensers in the organic Rankine cycle , 2016 .

[8]  Ying Chen,et al.  Performances of a split-type air conditioner employing a condenser with liquid–vapor separation baffles. , 2012 .

[9]  Ying Chen,et al.  Prediction and verification of the thermodynamic performance of vapor–liquid separation condenser , 2013 .

[10]  Markus Preißinger,et al.  HFOs as substitute for R-134a as working fluids in ORC power plants: A thermodynamic assessment and thermal stability analysis , 2016 .

[11]  Andreas Schuster,et al.  Efficiency optimization potential in supercritical Organic Rankine Cycles , 2010 .

[12]  Eyup Dogan,et al.  Determinants of CO2 emissions in the European Union: The role of renewable and non-renewable energy , 2016 .

[13]  H. Spliethoff,et al.  Effect and comparison of different working fluids on a two-stage organic rankine cycle (ORC) concept , 2014 .

[14]  Réjean Samson,et al.  Multi-objective design optimization of a natural gas-combined cycle with carbon dioxide capture in a life cycle perspective , 2010 .

[15]  W. Worek,et al.  Optimum design criteria for an Organic Rankine cycle using low-temperature geothermal heat sources , 2007 .

[16]  Hoseyn Sayyaadi,et al.  Multi-objective approach in thermoenvironomic optimization of a benchmark cogeneration system , 2009 .

[17]  Mortaza Yari,et al.  Thermodynamic analysis and multi-objective optimization of various ORC (organic Rankine cycle) configurations using zeotropic mixtures , 2016 .

[18]  Wei Liu,et al.  Optimization of shell-and-tube heat exchangers conforming to TEMA standards with designs motivated by constructal theory , 2014 .

[19]  Andrea Lazzaretto,et al.  A general framework to select working fluid and configuration of ORCs for low-to-medium temperature heat sources , 2015 .

[20]  Tailu Li,et al.  Two-stage evaporation strategy to improve system performance for organic Rankine cycle , 2015 .

[21]  Sotirios Karellas,et al.  Energy–exergy analysis and economic investigation of a cogeneration and trigeneration ORC–VCC hybrid system utilizing biomass fuel and solar power , 2016 .

[22]  Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi,et al.  Optimal design of process energy systems integrating sustainable considerations , 2014 .

[23]  Yi-Ming Wei,et al.  Socioeconomic impact assessment of China's CO2 emissions peak prior to 2030 , 2017 .

[24]  Durmus Kaya,et al.  Investigation of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technologies in Turkey from the technical and economic point of view , 2016 .

[25]  Masood Ebrahimi,et al.  Combined solid oxide fuel cell, micro-gas turbine and organic Rankine cycle for power generation (SOFC–MGT–ORC) , 2016 .

[26]  François Maréchal,et al.  Multi-Objective, Multi-Period Optimization of Biomass Conversion Technologies Using Evolutionary Algorithms and Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) , 2013 .

[27]  Ying Chen,et al.  Multi-objective optimization for the design and synthesis of utility systems with emission abatement technology concerns , 2014 .

[28]  François Maréchal,et al.  Systematic integration of LCA in process systems design: Application to combined fuel and electricity production from lignocellulosic biomass , 2011, Comput. Chem. Eng..

[29]  Hui Xie,et al.  The environmental impact of organic Rankine cycle for waste heat recovery through life-cycle assessment , 2013 .

[30]  Christoph Wieland,et al.  Economic comparison of ORC (Organic Rankine cycle) processes at different scales , 2014 .

[31]  Xianglong Luo,et al.  Mathematical modelling and optimization of a liquid separation condenser-based organic Rankine cycle used in waste heat utilization , 2017 .

[32]  Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi,et al.  Industrial waste heat recovery and cogeneration involving organic Rankine cycles , 2015, Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy.

[33]  Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi,et al.  Multiobjective design of interplant trigeneration systems , 2014 .

[34]  Vincent Lemort,et al.  Techno-economic survey of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems , 2013 .

[35]  Antonino Risitano,et al.  Materials selection in the Life-Cycle Design process: a method to integrate mechanical and environmental performances in optimal choice , 2005 .

[36]  D. Chisholm.  Two-Phase Flow in Pipelines and Heat Exchangers , 1983 .

[37]  Conor J. Walsh,et al.  The environmental impact and economic feasibility of introducing an Organic Rankine Cycle to recover low grade heat during the production of metallurgical coke , 2012 .

[38]  Guo Tao,et al.  Performance comparison and parametric optimization of subcritical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and transcritical power cycle system for low-temperature geothermal power generation , 2011 .

[39]  Steven Lecompte,et al.  Exergy analysis of zeotropic mixtures as working fluids in organic rankine cycles , 2014 .

[40]  Patrick Linke,et al.  Organic Rankine Cycle system performance targeting and design for multiple heat sources with simultaneous working fluid selection , 2017 .

[41]  Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez,et al.  Minimization of the LCA impact of thermodynamic cycles using a combined simulation-optimization approach , 2012 .

[42]  S. Kandlikar.  A General Correlation for Saturated Two-Phase Flow Boiling Heat Transfer Inside Horizontal and Vertical Tubes , 1990 .

[43]  Mahmoud M. El-Halwagi,et al.  Optimal integration of organic Rankine cycles with industrial processes , 2013 .

[44]  R. V. Rao,et al.  Design optimization of shell-and-tube heat exchanger using particle swarm optimization technique , 2010 .

[45]  Andrew Burnham,et al.  Updated Life-Cycle Assessment of Aluminum Production and Semi-fabrication for the GREET Model , 2015 .

[46]  Elizabet Del Carmen Vera Becerra,et al.  Low GWP R134a replacements for small refrigeration (plug-in) applications , 2016 .

[47]  David Kendrick,et al.  GAMS, a user's guide , 1988, SGNM.

[48]  Ying Chen,et al.  Mathematical modelling and optimization of the liquid separation condenser used in organic Rankine cycle , 2017 .

[49]  Xiao Feng,et al.  A new pinch based method for simultaneous selection of working fluid and operating conditions in an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) recovering waste heat , 2015 .

[50]  Xianglong Luo,et al.  In-tube performance evaluation of an air-cooled condenser with liquid–vapor separator , 2014 .

[51]  Richard Turton,et al.  Analysis, Synthesis and Design of Chemical Processes , 2002 .

[52]  Dieter Brüggemann,et al.  Life cycle assessment of Organic Rankine Cycles for geothermal power generation considering low-GWP working fluids , 2016 .

[53]  Michel Feidt,et al.  Thermodynamic and economic optimizations of a waste heat to power plant driven by a subcritical ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) using pure or zeotropic working fluid , 2014 .

[54]  Jinliang Xu,et al.  A new design method for Organic Rankine Cycles with constraint of inlet and outlet heat carrier fluid temperatures coupling with the heat source , 2012 .

[55]  Yu Qian,et al.  A proposed coal-to-methanol process with CO2 capture combined Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for waste heat recovery , 2016 .