Thermodynamic and economic analysis of refrigerant mixture R290/ R1234ze used in an ORC-EERC system for low temperature heat sources

作者：Liang, Youcai^*; Wu, Jintao; Sun, Zhili; Zhu, Yan; Ye, Kai; Dong, Meirong; Lu, Jidong

来源：APPLIED THERMAL ENGINEERING, 2023, 229: 120635.

DOI：10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.120635

• ORC-EERC
• ORC-VCC
• Refrigerant mixture
• Economic and performance advantages

In the process of promoting carbon neutrality, heat driven refrigeration technology has been widely concerned due to its ability to make use of low-grade thermal energy and improve energy utilization. A novel combined organic Rankine cycle and ejector expansion refrigeration cycle (ORC-EERC) system is proposed in this study. To lower global warming potential and flammability, refrigerant mixture R290/R1234ze is chosen as the working fluid. The proposed ORC-EERC system with ejector and vapor-liquid separator are compared with those of the traditional organic Rankine cycle and vapor compression refrigeration cycle (ORC-VCC) by thermodynamic and economic analysis. The simulation results show that the ORC-EERC can achieve higher exergy efficiency and produce lower cooling temperature. Under typical conditions, the total coefficient of performance of ORC-EERC increased by 17.32% and its levelized cost of cooling decreased by 10.45% compared with the ORC-VCC. Furthermore, the ORC-EERC can remarkably improve performance at a lower freezing temperature or a higher condensing temperature. The results of the proposed cycle show that the ORC-EERC system has great application potential in freezers.