Abstract
In this paper thermodynamic modeling of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) driven by parabolic trough solar collectors is presented. Eight working fluids for the ORC were examined. The effect of turbine inlet temperature on main energetic and exergetic performance parameters were studied. The influences of turbine inlet temperature on turbine size parameter, turbine outlet volume flow rate and expansion ratio were also investigated. Important exergetic parameters including irreversibility ratio and total exergy destruction rate were also included in the analysis and evaluated. The study reveals that increasing the turbine inlet temperature results in increasing the net electric efficiency, net power output, exergy efficiency and expansion ratio while the total exergy destruction rate and turbine size parameter are reduced. From the considered working fluids, o-xylene gives the best energetic and exergetic performance. The results of the study also show that the main source of exergy destruction occurs in the solar collector where 74.9% of the total exergy loss is destructed. Next to collectors, 18.2% of the total destructed exergy occurs in the condenser.