In this study, drying characteristics, kinetic modelling, energy and exergy analyses of a convective hot air dryer are presented for water yam. The drying experiments were carried out at temperature levels of 50, 60, and 70°C and slice thicknesses of 3, 6, and 9 mm. The effects of drying variables on the drying rate (DR), moisture diffusivity (Deff), activation energy (Ea), energy utilization (EU), energy utilization ratio (EUR), exergy loss (EXL), exergy efficiency (EXeff), improvement potential (IP), and exergetic sustainability index (ESI) were investigated. The results showed that increasing air temperature increased the DR, Deff, EU, EUR, EXL, EXeff, IP, and ESI, while increasing the slice thickness increased Deff and Ea, but decreased the DR. The highest Deff and Ea values were 4.2 × 10−8 m2/s, and 53 KJ/mol, respectively. EU and EUR varied from 10 to 150 J/s and 0.39 to 0.79, respectively. EXL and EXeff varied between 2 and 12.5 J/s and 58 to 75 %, respectively. Midilli’s model... [more]

This study reports the thermodynamic analysis of a high-temperature recuperative organic Rankine cycle comprising a water heating system that can provide a net power of 585.7 kW and hot water for domestic use at 35 °C. The performance was analysed using seasonal ambient temperature and water temperature data from Seoul, South Korea. The working fluid was separated into two different mass fractions after emerging from the turbine 1 outlet; one fraction provided heat to recuperate the organic Rankine cycle, and the other fraction was transferred to the water heating system for heating water. Mass fractions were balanced based on the projected seasonal need for hot water. Four working fluids with high critical temperatures and five working fluids with low critical temperatures were examined for top and bottom cycles, respectively. Chlorobenzene was selected for the top cycle and R601 was selected for the bottom cycle. The system achievement in individual months was analysed using thermal... [more]

In current power station boilers, fuel burns at a low temperature, which results in low exergy efficiency. This research combined the second law of t with the boiler structure to maximize the efficiency of a 350 MW power plant boiler. A three-dimensional simulation of the combustion process at the power plant boiler is performed. A one-dimensional simulation model of the boiler is then constructed to calculate the combustion exergy loss, heat transfer exergy loss, and boiler exergy efficiency. Under the principle of high-temperature air combustion technologies, this paper also proposes a new structure and improved operating parameters to improve the exergy efficiency of boilers by reducing the heat exchange area of the economizer and increasing the heat exchange area of the air preheater. Simulation results show that the exergy efficiency of the boiler increased from 47.29% to 48.35% through the modified model. The simulation outcomes can instruct future optimal boiler design and contr... [more]

The ground source heat pump heating system is considered as one of the best solutions for the transition towards green heating under the continental climate conditions like Kazakhstan. In this paper, experimental and theoretical investigations were carried out to develop a ground source heat pump-based heating system under the weather conditions in Kazakhstan and to evaluate its thermodynamic performance. The water-to-water heat pump heating system, integrated with a ground source heat exchanger and used refrigerant R134a, was designed to provide hot water to meet the requirements for space heating. The predicted values of the coefficient of performance and the experimental results were found to be in good agreement within 6.2%. The thermodynamic performance of the system was also assessed using various environment-friendly refrigerants, such as R152a, R450A, R513A, R1234yf and R1234ze, as potential replacements for R134a. Although R152a is found to be a good alternative for R134a in t... [more]

This paper reports on a review on combined heat and power (CHP). A historical examination points out that combined heat and power was primarily used for hot heat valorizing (CHHP). The technological aspects evolved with this configuration first in industrial size. More recently, configuration with cold heat and power production (CCHP) appeared. Then, the immediate extension of this configuration led to trigeneration configuration, providing three useful effects: power and hot and cold heat. We suggest in the paper that progress regarding this last approach remains to be achieved towards the extension of trigeneration to polygeneration, whatever the form of energy and substance (water uses, for example). More generally, we consider that the goal, regarding the energy uses, is the integration of all needs in the design stage of the whole system (design optimization). Then, the evolution of the system in time should be considered, this being the purpose of control command of the optimized... [more]

In order to objectively reflect the energy utilization performance of an active water heating system (AWHS) using photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) modules, this study proposes a new evaluation method based on energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and thermal-electrical output of a system in year-round weather conditions. Four samples of PV/T modules were surveyed to compare and evaluate the effectiveness of the system, called MD1, MD2, MD3 and MD4, respectively. The simulation program was developed to suit four types of PV/T modules and MATLAB was used as the programming language. The water flow through the four PV/T module samples and the hot water tank volume were investigated for the highest exergy efficiency of the system. The final results illustrate that in the weather conditions of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, the system has the highest energy efficiency, exergy efficiency and thermal output when using MD1 with 57.85%, 15.67% and 2.93 kWh/m2/day, respectively, while the system has highe... [more]

150 years ago, Stanley Jevons introduced the concept of energy rebound: that anticipated energy efficiency savings may be “taken back” by behavioural responses. This is an important issue today because, if energy rebound is significant, this would hamper the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies aimed at reducing energy use and associated carbon emissions. However, empirical studies which estimate national energy rebound are rare and, perhaps as a result, rebound is largely ignored in energy-economy models and associated policy. A significant difficulty lies in the components of energy rebound assessed in empirical studies: most examine direct and indirect rebound in the static economy, excluding potentially significant rebound of the longer term structural response of the national economy. In response, we develop a novel exergy-based approach to estimate national energy rebound for the UK and US (1980⁻2010) and China (1981⁻2010). Exergy—as “available energy”—allows a consistent,... [more]