Development of Thermal Management Strategies for Refrigerant Boilers in Organic Rankine Cycle for Solar Electric Energy Conversion

2025-28-0414

10/30/2025

Authors
Abstract
Content
Electricity is a fundamental necessity for individuals worldwide, serving as a force driving technological progress hitherto unimaginable. Electricity generation uses diverse methodologies based on available natural resources in a given geographic region. Conventional methods like thermal power from coal and natural gas, water-based hydropower, solar power from the sun, wind power, and nuclear power are used extensively, the former two being the dominant sources. The generation of nearly 70% of the world's electricity is estimated to be from thermal power plants; however, these operations lead to widespread environmental destruction, greenhouse emissions, and the occurrence of acid rain. Conventional thermal power plants run on the Rankine cycle principle of a boiler, a turbine, a condenser, and a pump. A similar method may be used in the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) with the use of solar energy, where heat is transferred to the working fluid in the boiler using a heat pipe, a passive heat transfer device. A closed system makes use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as the working fluid in the Organic Rankine Cycle, while acetone serves as the working fluid when used inside the heat pipe. The boiler is constructed to function within the pressure range of 4-7 bar, while the turbine is constructed to function at temperature levels of 150-200°C when optimized for maximum thermal efficiency. In this current research, a refrigerant boiler has been designed incorporating thermal management strategies to optimize efficiency. The rate of heat transfer from the solar collectors was analyzed under various conditions, and it was found that the evacuated tube collectors had temperature efficiencies ranging from 40-60% at various irradiation levels. Technical parameters unique to the solar collectors are an average flux of 500 W/m2 and a collector efficiency of 65% at the peak of sunlight intensity. The system can also sustain a boiler temperature of 250°C to allow for maximum system working fluid vaporization and pressure generation. The performance of the system was also subjected to different weather conditions, with particular emphasis on temperature variation and the effect on system efficiency. This research offers an insight into the development of solar-powered ORC systems with emphasis on their capability to generate clean and renewable energy. The research can also be applied to enhance the heat management of refrigerant boilers to allow for efficient temperature control and increased overall system efficiency in solar electric energy conversion.
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/2025-28-0414
Pages
8
Citation
Deepan Kumar, S., Kumar, V., Dhayaneethi, S., Mahendran, M. et al., "Development of Thermal Management Strategies for Refrigerant Boilers in Organic Rankine Cycle for Solar Electric Energy Conversion," SAE Technical Paper 2025-28-0414, 2025, https://doi.org/10.4271/2025-28-0414.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Oct 30
Product Code
2025-28-0414
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English