Abstract
An advanced modification is applied to a conventional solar-powered trigeneration application for combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) generation. Accordingly, its optimization is described for various cases employing a genetic algorithm and adopting exergetic and economic approaches. In this way, the net generated electricity, the overall exergy efficiency, and total cost per unit exergy are chosen as the objective functions. The conventional CCHP setup comprises a solar subsystem including high-temperature solar collectors in arrangement with hot and cold storage tanks, an organic Rankine cycle (ORC), a heating production heat exchanger, and a single-effect absorption chiller. In addition to the solar subsystem, the modified setup embraces three heating production heat exchangers, a double-effect absorption chiller, and two regenerative ORCs. Indeed, the use of regeneration in the ORC provides the possibility of establishing two regenerative ORCs (RORCs) along whit a multi-heat recovery situation at the defined framework. Three different solar operational modes, i.e., high, low, and zero radiation statuses during a day are considered to analyze and compare the conventional and modified systems under identical conditions through a comprehensive parametric study. Taking into account the parametric study results, the oil mass ratio of the solar subsystem has a remarkable impact on the exergy and cost criteria of the system throughout the day. Moreover, the modification process provides the best exergetic and economic performances. This capability ascends the overall exergy efficiency by 0.8, 0.6, and 0.4 percent-points, and the exergoeconomic factor by 0.4, 0.9, and 2.1 percent-points for the aforementioned solar operation modes, respectively.
•Modification and optimization procedures are conducted for a solar-powered system.•The goals are to enhance the exergetic and exergoeconomic outcomes.•Three different solar radiation operational modes are considered during a day.•Comprehensive parametric study is performed for the radiation operational modes.•The exergy efficiency and exergoeconomic factor are improved by the modification.