Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-11-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:47:02Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 lamas_wq_dr_guara.pdf: 876448 bytes, checksum: 84281f8365b2bd1b6c356067b0c6c181 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Neste trabalho é desenvolvida uma metodologia para a alocação dos custos dos produtos por uma mini-estação de tratamento de esgotos, com vistas a realizar a análise da viabilidade econômica do investimento necessário para a sua implantação, inclusive caracterizando-a como a melhor escolha a ser adotada na solução de saneamento básico em zonas rurais e em regiões de limitado poder aquisitivo, além de que tem potencial energético face à sua capacidade de transformar em eletricidadea energia contida no biogás gerado. Essa metodologia á aplicada ao sistema instalado no campus de Guaratinguetá da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade Estadual Paulista, tendo sido estabelecidas as condições iniciais a partir da realidade vivida no campus e sendo relacionadas as características termodinâmicas do sistema, a partir do seu diagrama de processo. As características associadas ao diagrama de processo possibilitam construir o diagrama funcional termoeconômico do sistema e determinar as equações referentes às funções exergéticas desse sistema e os respectivos valores das exergias associados. Após esses cálculos, elabora-se um modelo estrutural para avaliar os custos de seus produtos (biogás, biofertilizante, água em condições de re-uso e energia elétrica) e avaliar a viabilidade econômica em função do retorno de capital investido. A seguir, a mesma metodologia á aplicada a um sistema comercialmente disponível, com características de tratamento muito próximas às da mini-ETE. A partir dos resultados obtidos, é possível verificar que a mini-estação de tratamento de esgoto é uma alternativa viável e muito atraente sobre o ponto de vista técnico-econômico, pois além de apresentar auto-suficiência energética, possui um retorno de investimento de aproximadamente um terço do tempo do sistema comercialmente disponível com características semelhantes para tratamento. / In this work a methodology that allows for the allocation of costs of the generated products for a small wastewater treatment station is developed, and used to perform an analysis of its economic feasibility, to justify the investment, beside its characterization as one of the best choice to be adopted as a basic sanitation solution in rural areas, and in areas characterized by low income population, together with a major energy potential because of its capability to transform the generated biogas into electric energy. For this purpose, the methodology is applied to a system established at Guaratinguetá Campus, School of Engineering, São Paulo State University. After establishing initial conditions based on site evaluation, the thermodynamics features of the system are related based on its process diagram. Such features, associated to process diagram, make it possible to build the thermoeconomi functional diagram for the system under analysis and, after words, the equations related to exergetic functions for the system are determined and the exergy values are calculated. After these calculations, a structural model is developed, in order to provide its products costs (biogas, biofertilizer, water in reuse conditions and electric energy). The economic viability is evaluated as a function of the estimated return on investment. The same methodology is then applied to a commercially available system, with characteristics close to a small wastewater treatment station. Based on the results of this work it is possible to verify that the small wastewater treatment station is a viable and attractive alternative in the technical and economic point of view, showing self-sufficiency in energy, and a pay-back period about one-third of estimated time of the commercial system referred to with similar features.

Resumo: Neste trabalho é desenvolvida uma metodologia para a alocação dos custos dos produtos por uma mini-estação de tratamento de esgotos, com vistas a realizar a análise da viabilidade econômica do investimento necessário para a sua implantação, inclusive caracterizando-a como a melhor escolha a ser adotada na solução de saneamento básico em zonas rurais e em regiões de limitado poder aquisitivo, além de que tem potencial energético face à sua capacidade de transformar em eletricidadea energia contida no biogás gerado. Essa metodologia á aplicada ao sistema instalado no campus de Guaratinguetá da Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade Estadual Paulista, tendo sido estabelecidas as condições iniciais a partir da realidade vivida no campus e sendo relacionadas as características termodinâmicas do sistema, a partir do seu diagrama de processo. As características associadas ao diagrama de processo possibilitam construir o diagrama funcional termoeconômico do sistema e determinar as equações referentes às funções exergéticas desse sistema e os respectivos valores das exergias associados. Após esses cálculos, elabora-se um modelo estrutural para avaliar os custos de seus produtos (biogás, biofertilizante, água em condições de re-uso e energia elétrica) e avaliar a viabilidade econômica em função do retorno de capital investido. A seguir, a mesma metodologia á aplicada a um sistema comercialmente disponível, com características de tratamento muito próximas às da mini-ETE. A partir dos resultados obtidos, é possível verificar que a mini-estação de tratamento de esgoto é uma alternativa viável e muito atraente sobre o ponto de vista técnico-econômico, pois além de apresentar auto-suficiência energética, possui um retorno de investimento de aproximadamente um terço do tempo do sistema comercialmente disponível com características semelhantes para tratamento. / Abstract: In this work a methodology that allows for the allocation of costs of the generated products for a small wastewater treatment station is developed, and used to perform an analysis of its economic feasibility, to justify the investment, beside its characterization as one of the best choice to be adopted as a basic sanitation solution in rural areas, and in areas characterized by low income population, together with a major energy potential because of its capability to transform the generated biogas into electric energy. For this purpose, the methodology is applied to a system established at Guaratinguetá Campus, School of Engineering, São Paulo State University. After establishing initial conditions based on site evaluation, the thermodynamics features of the system are related based on its process diagram. Such features, associated to process diagram, make it possible to build the thermoeconomi functional diagram for the system under analysis and, after words, the equations related to exergetic functions for the system are determined and the exergy values are calculated. After these calculations, a structural model is developed, in order to provide its products costs (biogas, biofertilizer, water in reuse conditions and electric energy). The economic viability is evaluated as a function of the estimated return on investment. The same methodology is then applied to a commercially available system, with characteristics close to a small wastewater treatment station. Based on the results of this work it is possible to verify that the small wastewater treatment station is a viable and attractive alternative in the technical and economic point of view, showing self-sufficiency in energy, and a pay-back period about one-third of estimated time of the commercial system referred to with similar features. / Orientador: José Luz Silveira / Coorientador: Giorgio Eugenio Oscare Giacaglia / Banca: Luiz Octavio Mattos dos Reis / Banca: Joaquim Antonio dos Reis / Banca: José Rui Camargo / Banca: Sebastião Cardoso / Doutor

Submitted by Ricieri Fornazari Filho (ricieri.fornazari@gmail.com) on 2018-07-26T14:37:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Ricieri Fornazari Filho.pdf: 5238639 bytes, checksum: 37aec4ee567ed4046866f1a6f1be7a09 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Lucilene Cordeiro da Silva Messias null (lubiblio@bauru.unesp.br) on 2018-07-30T13:52:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 fornazarifilho_r_me_bauru.pdf: 4325526 bytes, checksum: 1bd8c929f67ded30499ed09950b7e38e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-30T13:52:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 fornazarifilho_r_me_bauru.pdf: 4325526 bytes, checksum: 1bd8c929f67ded30499ed09950b7e38e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-03 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Desenvolver e projetar plantas de potência otimizadas é uma constante e antiga busca da engenharia de energia. Para tal, os modelos de ciclos foram constantemente aprimorados ao longo do tempo. Através de estudos que procuram incorporar funções que descrevam a realidade mais precisamente, o equacionamento de irreversibilidades presentes nos processos e dispositivos reais de interações de trabalho e calor é vasto na literatura. Uma modelagem matemática foi desenvolvida para um ciclo Brayton irreversível com inter-resfriamento, regeneração e reaquecimento. As irreversibilidades consideradas são provenientes das resistências térmicas nos trocadores de calor do ciclo, do comportamento não isentrópicos dos elementos de expansão e compressão, da perda de calor para o reservatório frio e das perdas de carga nas tubulações ao longo do escoamento do fluido de trabalho. O método de otimização escolhido foi uma função termoeconômica a qual relaciona potência líquida com diversos tipos de custos de uma planta de potência, tais como custos de investimentos, de combustíveis, ambientais e de operação e manutenção. A modelagem matemática consistiu em determinar todas as temperaturas e parâmetros de interesse do ciclo através do conhecimento de apenas uma temperatura, denominada temperatura de controle. A partir de variações nesta temperatura foi possível estabelecer o comportamento dos demais parâmetros do ciclo e relacioná-los com irreversibilidades e parâmetros construtivos. O presente trabalho apresentou um modelo de ciclo Brayton não encontrado na literatura, acopladas diversas fontes de irreversibilidades sob a ótica de uma função de custos de quatro termos. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que a faixa ótima para operação em máxima potência difere da faixa ótima para operação sob máxima eficiência, sendo que a operação termoeconômica maximizada se aproxima mais da última do que da primeira. Foi observado também que as perdas de carga e as resistências dos trocadores de calor são irreversibilidades significativas no ciclo de potência. / Developing and designing optimized power plants is a constant and ancient search for energy engineering. For this, cycles models have been constantly improved over time. Through studies that seek to incorporate functions that describe the reality more precisely, the equating of irreversibility present in real processes and devices of work and heat transfer interactions is vast in the literature. A mathematical modeling has been developed for an irreversible Brayton cycle with inter-cooling, regeneration and reheating. The irreversibility considered are due to thermal resistances in the heat exchangers of the cycle, to the non-isentropic behavior of the elements for expansion and compression, to the heat loss to the could reservoir and to the head loss on the pipes along the working fluid flow. The optimization method chosen was a thermoeconomic function that relates the net power to various types of costs of a power plant, such as investment costs, fuel costs, environmental costs and operation and maintenance costs. The mathematical modeling consisted on determining all the cycle temperatures and parameters of interest through the knowledge of only one temperature, called control temperature. From variations in this temperature, it was possible to establish the behavior of the other parameters of the cycle and relate them to irreversibility and constructive parameters. The present work presented a model of Brayton cycle not found in the literature, coupled several sources of irreversibility under the optics of a four terms cost function. The results obtained demonstrate that the optimal operational range under maximum power differs from the optimal operational range under maximum efficiency, and the maximized thermoeconomic operation is closer to the latter than the first. It has also been observed that the head losses and the resistances in the heat exchangers are significant irreversibility in the power cycle.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) cold utilization in small scale regasification stations is a novel topic in the industry, while such systems have been proven feasible in large scale LNG facilities. Cold recovery and utilization in LNG regasification facilities would increase the thermodynamic efficiency and reduce cold pollution. The aim of the study is to analyze the possibility to apply industry-proven thermodynamic cycles in small scale satellite regasification stations for electricity production, taking the characteristics of a real-world regasification station project in Druskininkai, Lithuania for which useful cold utilization is not currently planned. Direct Expansion (DE) and Rankine (ORC) Cycles are analyzed together with cascading using Aspen Hysys software to find the optimal solution considering thermal and exergy efficiency as well as the payback period. Thermoeconomically feasible retrofit solutions of approximately 13% thermal efficiency and approximately 17% exergy efficiency showing payback periods of 5 to 10 years and 3.3 to 6 thousand euro additional capital expenditure (CAPEX) per net kW of power production are found. Increase in complexity of thermodynamic cycles is directly proportional to both increased thermodynamic efficiencies and capital costs and the study proves that there is a limit at which increase in thermodynamic efficiency of a cycle by cascading becomes economically infeasible. Future work is suggested to improve the accuracy of the results by rigorous design to evaluate pressure drops as well as improvements in economic analysis by utilizing the discounted cash flow methodology. Sensitivity analysis of LNG physical and chemical conditions as well as ambient air could be performed whereas changes in working fluid and better engineering of the part related to intial heat exchange could improve thermodynamic efficiencies. Alternative solutions with a higher temperature heat source are also suggested.

Detailed thermodynamic, kinetic, geometric, and cost models are developed, implemented, and validated for the synthesis/design and operational analysis of hybrid solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) – gas turbine (GT) – steam turbine (ST) systems ranging in size from 1.5 MWe to 10 MWe. The fuel cell model used in this thesis is based on a tubular Siemens-Westinghouse-type SOFC, which is integrated with a gas turbine and a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) integrated in turn with a steam turbine cycle. The SOFC/GT subsystem is based on previous work done by Francesco Calise during his doctoral research (Calise, 2005). In that work, a HRSG is not used. Instead, the gas turbine exhaust is used by a number of heat exchangers to preheat the air and fuel entering the fuel cell and to provide energy for district heating. The current work considers instead the possible benefits of using the exhaust gases in an HRSG in order to produce steam which drives a steam turbine for additional power output. Four different steam turbine cycles are considered in this M.S. thesis work: a single-pressure, a dual-pressure, a triple-pressure, and a triple-pressure with reheat. The models have been developed to function both at design (full load) and off-design (partial load) conditions. In addition, different solid oxide fuel cell sizes are examined to assure a proper selection of SOFC size based on efficiency or cost. The thermoeconomic analysis includes cost functions developed specifically for the different system and component sizes (capacities) analyzed. A parametric study is used to determine the most viable system/component syntheses/designs based on maximizing total system efficiency or minimizing total system life cycle cost. / Master of Science

A decomposition methodology based on the concept of "thermoeconomic isolation" applied to the synthesis/design and operational optimization of an advanced tactical fighter aircraft is the focus of this research. Conceptual, time, and physical decomposition were used to solve the system-level as well as unit-level optimization problems. The total system was decomposed into five sub-systems as follows: propulsion sub-system (PS), environmental control sub-system (ECS), fuel loop sub-system (FLS), vapor compressor and PAO loops sub-system (VC/PAOS), and airframe sub-system (AFS) of which the AFS is a non-energy based sub-system. Configurational optimization was applied. Thus, a number of different configurations for each sub-system were considered. The most promising set of candidate configurations, based on both an energy integration analysis and aerodynamic performance, were developed and detailed thermodynamic, geometric, physical, and aerodynamic models at both design and off-design were formulated and implemented. A decomposition strategy called Iterative Local-Global Optimization (ILGO) developed by Muñoz and von Spakovsky was then applied to the synthesis/design and operational optimization of the advanced tactical fighter aircraft. This decomposition strategy is the first to successfully closely approach the theoretical condition of "thermoeconomic isolation" when applied to highly complex, highly dynamic non-linear systems. This contrasts with past attempts to approach this condition, all of which were applied to very simple systems under very special and restricted conditions such as those requiring linearity in the models and strictly local decision variables. This is a major advance in decomposition and has now been successfully applied to a number of highly complex and dynamic transportation and stationary systems. This thesis work presents the detailed results from one such application, which additionally considers a non-energy based sub-system (AFS). / Master of Science

Sustainability has been at the centre of global attention for decades. One of the most challenging areas toward sustainability is the agricultural sector. Here, the commercial greenhouse is one of the most effective cultivation methods with a yield per cultivated area up to 10 times higher than for open land farming. However, this improvement comes with a higher energy demand. Therefore, the significance of energy conservation and management in the commercial greenhouse has been emphasized to enable cost efficient crop production. This Doctoral Thesis presents an assessment of energy pathways for improved greenhouse performance by reducing the direct energy inputs and by conserving energy throughout the system. A reference theoretical model for analyzing the energy performance of a greenhouse has been developed using TRNSYS. This model is verified using real data from a conventional greenhouse in Stockholm (Ulriksdal). With this, a number of energy saving opportunities (e.g. double glazing) were assessed one by one with regards to the impact on the annual heating, cooling and electricity demand. Later, a multidimensional energy saving method, the “Closed Greenhouse”, was introduced. The closed greenhouse is an innovative concept with a combination of many energy saving opportunities. In the ideal closed greenhouse configuration, there are no ventilation windows, and the excess heat, in both sensible and latent forms, needs to be stored using a seasonal thermal energy storage. A short term (daily) storage can be used to eliminate the daily mismatch in the heating and cooling demand as well as handling the hourly fluctuations in the demand. The key conclusion form this work is that the innovative concept “closed greenhouse” can be cost-effective, independent of fossil fuel and technically feasible regardless of climate condition. For the Nordic climate case of Sweden, more than 800 GWh can be saved annually, by converting all conventional greenhouses into this concept. Climate change mitigation will follow, as a key impact towards sustainability. In more detail, the results show that the annual heating demand in an ideal closed greenhouse can be reduced to 60 kWhm-2 as compared to 300 kWhm-2 in the conventional greenhouse. However, by considering semi-closed or partly closed greenhouse concepts, practical implementation appears advantageous. The required external energy input for heating purpose can still be reduced by 25% to 75% depending on the fraction of closed area. The payback period time for the investment in a closed greenhouse varies between 5 and 8 years depending on the thermal energy storage design conditions. Thus, the closed greenhouse concept has the potential to be cost effective. Following these results, energy management pathways have been examined based on the proposed thermo-economic assessment. From this, it is clear that the main differences between the suggested scenarios are the type of energy source, as well as the cooling and dehumidification strategies judged feasible, and that these are very much dependent on the climatic conditions Finally, by proposing the “solar blind” concept as an active system, the surplus solar radiation can be absorbed by PVT panels and stored in thermal energy storage for supplying a portion of the greenhouse heating demand. In this concept, the annual external energy input for heating purpose in a commercial closed greenhouse with solar blind is reduced by 80%, down to 62 kWhm-2 (per unit of greenhouse area), as compared to a conventional configuration. Also the annual total useful heat gain and electricity generation, per unit of greenhouse area, by the solar blind in this concept is around 20 kWhm-2 and 80 kWhm-2, respectively. The generated electricity can be used for supplying the greenhouse power demand for artificial lighting and other devices. Typically, the electricity demand for a commercial greenhouse is about 170 kWhm-2. Here, the effect of “shading” on the crop yield is not considered, and would have to be carefully assessed in each case. / Hållbarhet har legat i fokus under decennier. En av de mest utmanande områdena är jordbrukssektorn, där. kommersiella växthus är ett av de mest effektiva odlingsalternativen med en avkastning per odlad yta upp till 10 gånger högre än för jordbruk på friland. Dock kommer denna förbättring med ett högre energibehov. Därför är energieffektivisering i kommersiella växthus viktig för att möjliggöra kostnadseffektiv odling. Denna doktorsavhandling presenterar en utvärdering av olika energiscenarios för förbättring av växthusens prestanda genom att minska extern energitillförsel och spara energi genom i systemet som helhet. För studien har en teoretisk modell för analys av energiprestanda i ett växthus utvecklats med hjälp av TRNSYS. Denna modell har verifierats med hjälp av verkliga data från ett konventionellt växthus i Stockholm (Ulriksdal). Med denna modell har ett antal energibesparingsåtgärder (som dubbelglas) bedömts med hänsyn till de totala värme-, kyl-och elbehoven. En flerdimensionell metod för energibesparing, det s.k. "slutna växthuset", introduceras. Det slutna växthuset är ett innovativt koncept som är en kombination av flera energibesparingsmöjligheter. I den ideala slutna växthuskonfigurationen finns det inga ventilationsfönster och värmeöverskott, både sensibel och latent, lagras i ett energilager för senare användning. Daglig lagring kan användas för att eliminera den dagliga obalansen i värme-och kylbehovet. Ett säsongslager introduceras för att möjliggöra användandet av sommarvärme för uppvärmning vintertid. Den viktigaste slutsatsen från detta arbete är att ett sådant innovativt koncept, det "slutna växthuset" kan vara kostnadseffektiv, oberoende av fossila bränslen och tekniskt genomförbart oavsett klimatförhållanden. För det svenska klimatet kan mer än 800 GWh sparas årligen, genom att konvertera alla vanliga växthus till detta koncept. Det årliga värmebehovet i ett idealiskt slutet växthus kan reduceras till 60 kWhm-2 jämfört med 300 kWhm-2 i ett konventionellt växthus. Energibesparingen kommer även att minska miljöpåverkan. Även ett delvis slutet växthus, där en del av ytan är slutet, eller där viss kontrollerad ventilation medges, minskar energibehovet samtidigt som praktiska fördelar har kunnat påvisas. Ett delvis slutet växthus kan minska energibehovet för uppvärmning med mellan 25% och 75% beroende på andelen sluten yta. En framräknad återbetalningstid för investeringen i ett slutet växthus varierar mellan 5 och 8 år beroende på design av energilagringssystemet. Sålunda har det slutna växthuskonceptet potential att vara kostnadseffektiv. Mot bakgrund av dessa lovande resultat har sedan scenarios för energy management analyserats med hänsyn till termo-ekonomiska faktorer. Från detta är det tydligt att de viktigaste skillnaderna mellan de föreslagna scenarierna är den typ av energikälla, samt kyl- och avfuktningsstrategier som används, och dessa val är mycket beroende av klimatförhållandena. Slutligen, föreslås ett nytt koncept, en s.k. "solpersienn", vilket är ett aktivt system där överskottet av solstrålningen absorberas av PVT-paneler och lagras i termiskenergilager för att tillföra en del av växthuseffekten värmebehov. I detta koncept minskar den årliga externa energitillförseln för uppvärmning i ett slutet växthus med 80%, ner till 62 kWhm-2. Den totala värme- och elproduktionen, med konceptet "solpersienn" blir cirka 20 kWhm-2 respektive 80 kWhm-2. Elproduktion kan användas för artificiell belysning och annan elektrisk utrustning i växthuset. / <p>QC 20130910</p>

In this study, the feasibility of using an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in trigeneration plants is examined through thermodynamic modeling and thermoeconomic optimization. Three novel trigeneration systems are considered. Each one of these systems consists of an ORC, a heating-process heat exchanger, and a single-effect absorption chiller. The three systems are distinguished by the source of the heat input to the ORC. The systems considered are SOFC-trigeneration, biomass- trigeneration, and solar-trigeneration systems. For each system four cases are considered: electrical-power, cooling-cogeneration, heating-cogeneration, and trigeneration cases. Comprehensive thermodynamic analysis on each system is carried out. Furthermore, thermoeconomic optimization is conducted. The objective of the thermoeconomic optimization is to minimize the cost per exergy unit of the trigeneration product. The results of the thermoeconomic optimization are used to compare the three systems through thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analyses. This study illustrates key output parameters to assess the trigeneration systems considered. These parameters are energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, net electrical power, electrical to cooling ratio, and electrical to heating ratio. Moreover, exergy destruction modeling is conducted to identify and quantify the major sources of exergy destruction in the systems considered. In addition, an environmental impact assessment is conducted to quantify the amount of CO2 emissions in the systems considered. Furthermore, this study examines both the cost rate and cost per exergy unit of the electrical power and other trigeneration products. This study reveals that there is a considerable efficiency improvement when trigeneration is used, as compared to only electrical power production. In addition, the emissions of CO2 per MWh of trigeneration are significantly lower than that of electrical power. It was shown that the exergy destruction rates of the ORC evaporators for the three systems are quite high. Therefore, it is important to consider using more efficient ORC evaporators in trigeneration plants. In addition, this study reveals that the SOFC-trigeneration system has the highest electrical energy efficiency while the biomass-trigeneration system and the solar mode of the solar trigeneration system have the highest trigeneration energy efficiencies. In contrast, the SOFC-trigeneration system has the highest exergy efficiency for both electrical and trigeneration cases. Furthermore, the thermoeconomic optimization shows that the solar-trigeneration system has the lowest cost per exergy unit. Meanwhile the solar-trigeneration system has zero CO2 emissions and depends on a free renewable energy source. Therefore, it can be concluded that the solar-trigeneration system has the best thermoeconomic performance among the three systems considered.

Enhanced Finned-Tube Condenser Design and Optimization Susan W. Stewart 173 pages Directed by Dr. Sam V. Shelton Finned-tube heat exchangers are widely used in space conditioning systems, as well as any other application requiring heat exchange between liquids and gases. Their most widespread use is in residential air conditioning systems. Residential systems dictate peak demand on the U.S. national grid, which occurs on the hot summer afternoons, and thereby sets the expensive infrastructure requirement of the nations power plant and electrical distribution system. In addition to peak demand, residential air conditioners are major energy users that dominate residential electrical costs and environmental impact. The only significant opportunity for electrical power use reduction of residential air conditioners is in technology improvement of the finned-tube heat exchangers, i.e., condenser and evaporator coils. With the oncoming redesign of these systems in the next five years to comply with the regulatory elimination of R-22 used in residential air conditioners today, improvement in the design technology of these systems is timely. An air conditioner condenser finned-tube coil design optimization methodology is derived and shown to lead to improved residential air conditioner efficiency at fixed equipment cost. This nonlinear optimization of the 14 required design parameters is impractical by systematic experimental testing and iteration of tens of thousands condenser coils in an air conditioning system. The developed methodology and results can be used in the redesign of residential systems for the new mandated environmentally friendly refrigerants and to meet increasing regulatory minimum system efficiencies. Additionally, plain fins and augmented fins, (louvered), are compared using the developed model and optimization scheme to show the effect of the augmentation on system performance. Furthermore, an isolated condenser model was developed using condenser entropy generation minimization as the figure of merit to minimize the model complexity and computation time. Isolated model optimizations are compared with the system model optimum designs.

In this study, the feasibility of using an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in trigeneration plants is examined through thermodynamic modeling and thermoeconomic optimization. Three novel trigeneration systems are considered. Each one of these systems consists of an ORC, a heating-process heat exchanger, and a single-effect absorption chiller. The three systems are distinguished by the source of the heat input to the ORC. The systems considered are SOFC-trigeneration, biomass- trigeneration, and solar-trigeneration systems. For each system four cases are considered: electrical-power, cooling-cogeneration, heating-cogeneration, and trigeneration cases. Comprehensive thermodynamic analysis on each system is carried out. Furthermore, thermoeconomic optimization is conducted. The objective of the thermoeconomic optimization is to minimize the cost per exergy unit of the trigeneration product. The results of the thermoeconomic optimization are used to compare the three systems through thermodynamic and thermoeconomic analyses. This study illustrates key output parameters to assess the trigeneration systems considered. These parameters are energy efficiency, exergy efficiency, net electrical power, electrical to cooling ratio, and electrical to heating ratio. Moreover, exergy destruction modeling is conducted to identify and quantify the major sources of exergy destruction in the systems considered. In addition, an environmental impact assessment is conducted to quantify the amount of CO2 emissions in the systems considered. Furthermore, this study examines both the cost rate and cost per exergy unit of the electrical power and other trigeneration products. This study reveals that there is a considerable efficiency improvement when trigeneration is used, as compared to only electrical power production. In addition, the emissions of CO2 per MWh of trigeneration are significantly lower than that of electrical power. It was shown that the exergy destruction rates of the ORC evaporators for the three systems are quite high. Therefore, it is important to consider using more efficient ORC evaporators in trigeneration plants. In addition, this study reveals that the SOFC-trigeneration system has the highest electrical energy efficiency while the biomass-trigeneration system and the solar mode of the solar trigeneration system have the highest trigeneration energy efficiencies. In contrast, the SOFC-trigeneration system has the highest exergy efficiency for both electrical and trigeneration cases. Furthermore, the thermoeconomic optimization shows that the solar-trigeneration system has the lowest cost per exergy unit. Meanwhile the solar-trigeneration system has zero CO2 emissions and depends on a free renewable energy source. Therefore, it can be concluded that the solar-trigeneration system has the best thermoeconomic performance among the three systems considered.