Increase in Efficiency in Electric Power Production Using a Coupled System Heat Pump - Solar Thermal Installation for Industrial Applications

The efficiency of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) using low-temperature solar thermal energy, is 11 %, which increases the volume of the storage system and the solar thermal installation area that supplies the heat load to the ORC. Through a thermodynamic study of a coupled system heat pump-solar thermal installation using the R123 refrigerant, the efficiency of the ORC was increased significantly, and the installation area of the collector network and the volume of the storage system were reduced. Two case studies were evaluated: case 1, a sugar mill, and case 2, a fruit and vegetable cold room. Refrigerant R123 was selected with ODP = 0.02 and GWP = 77. The coupled system heat pump - solar thermal installation was designed to supply the power required by the process. The area of the solar thermal installation was reduced by 81 % compared to the area used to produce the same power in Case Study 1. The efficiency of the ORC increased from 11 to 14.5 % in both case studies. With the increase in efficiency and reduction in the installation area, the impact on the Earth is minimized, and greenhouse gas emissions are eliminated.