Thermodynamic simulation and optimization of a solar Organic Rankine Cycle

Abstract

This research project aims at performing a thermodynamic analysis of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) using as an energy source solar radiation. Thus, it is intended to study configurations that are most appropriate for this application as well as the choice of working fluid. As a metric to evaluate thermodynamic cycles, mass, energy and exergy balances will be applied. The last one takes into account the quality in a particular energy transfer, and will be used to compare the configurations and different body fluids. Finally, it is intended to perform an optimization for the various scenarios using as the objective function maximize the power output.