Experimental Investigation of an Ammonia-Based Combined Power and Cooling Cycle
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF AN AMMONIA-BASED COMBINED POWER AND COOLING CYCLE By GUNNAR OLAVI TAMM A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2003 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS There are a number of individuals who have contributed to the completion of this dissertation and the enrichment of my educational experience at the University of Florida. The gracious assistance, guidance and friendship of these individuals are recognized. As my Ph.D. committee chair, Dr. D. Yogi Goswami provided guidance but allowed me to follow my own research design. This afforded me the opportunity and responsibility to think independently and motivate myself on a real project. Dr. Goswami also encouraged interaction with industry, writing journal papers, soliciting grants and attending conferences, which have exposed me to the professional stage and built confidence in my transition towards an engineering career. My Ph.D. committee members, Dr. Jacob N. Chung, Dr. James F. Klausner, Dr. Ulrich H. Kurtzweg and Dr. S. A. Sherif, provided direction early on and helped me set realistic goals. The suggestions made regarding clarity, consistency, and analysis of results in my Ph.D. proposal were useful in preparing this dissertation and other technical papers on the study. The senior engineering technician at the Solar Energy and Energy Conversion Laboratory, Chuck Garretson, exhibits a demeanor that motivates self-reliance. Skilled and willing to teach, Chuck is an asset to those willing to learn. His practical assistance, advice and instruction were critical for my project. Barbara Graham provided much editorial and secretarial assistance to the solar lab group in writing papers and reports on our projects. In addition, her activism in solar and ii environmental issues helped to stimulate the group and increase our involvement in related events. The weekly meeting of the solar lab group was a good arena to practice presentation and discussion skills. Attentive graduate students in the group, such as Sanjay Vijayaraghavan, are commended for giving honest criticism, constructive arguments and intelligent suggestions during and after these meetings. Sanjay and Chris Martin, also a graduate student, are recognized for their assistance with my experimental work. As my predecessor, Shaoguang Lu assisted with the first design of the experimental setup and the initial procurement of system components, granting me challenging opportunities in his wake. I reiterate my appreciation to those that contributed to this dissertation and to making the solar lab a constructive, pleasant, and humorous working environment. Thanks go to my family for their encouragement and support throughout my lengthy educational experience. I also acknowledge financial support from the U.S. Department of Energy, Florida Solar Energy Center and NASA. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................................ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x NOMENCLATURE..........................................................................................................xiv ABSTRACT................................................................................................................... xviii CHAPTER 1 MOTIVATION................................................................................................................1 Energy Breakdown and Renewable Resources............................................................... 1 Low Temperature Resources .......................................................................................... 4 Solar Resources........................................................................................................ 4 Geothermal Resources ............................................................................................. 6 Waste Heat Resources............................................................................................ 10 Biomass Resources................................................................................................. 10 Available Methods For Thermal Energy Conversion................................................... 10 Direct Power Production........................................................................................ 11 Indirect Power Production...................................................................................... 12 2 BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS WORK ....................................17 Overview of the Cycle .................................................................................................. 17 Thermodynamics of the Cycle ............................................................................... 18 Comparison to Other Cycles .................................................................................. 20 Theoretical Background ................................................................................................ 21 Properties of Ammonia-Water Mixtures................................................................ 21 Efficiency Based on Source and Sink Temperatures ............................................. 21 Efficiency Based on Energy Transfers................................................................... 23 Previous Theoretical Studies......................................................................................... 25 Parametric Analysis ............................................................................................... 26 Optimization........................................................................................................... 28 Irreversibility Analysis........................................................................................... 33 Summary of Theoretical Studies............................................................................ 35 iv 3 EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM........................................................................................36 Ammonia-Water Side ................................................................................................... 37 Hot Water Side.............................................................................................................. 44 Coolant Side.................................................................................................................. 44 Instrumentation............................................................................................................. 47 Thermocouples....................................................................................................... 48 Pressure Transducers.............................................................................................. 49 Gas Chromatograph and Syringe Sampling........................................................... 49 Flow Meters ........................................................................................................... 51 Data Acquisition Hardware and Analysis Software ..................................................... 51 Safety ............................................................................................................................ 52 4 EXPERIMENTAL METHODOLOGY.........................................................................54 Parameters in Simulations and Experiments................................................................. 54 Limits and Selection of Operating Conditions.............................................................. 56 Heat Source Temperature....................................................................................... 59 Boiler Pressure ....................................................................................................... 61 Ambient Temperature ............................................................................................ 62 Basic Solution Ammonia Mass Fraction................................................................ 63 Heat Source Flow Ratio ......................................................................................... 63 System Behavior ........................................................................................................... 63 Uncertainty of Measurements ....................................................................................... 65 5 EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS.......................................................................................69 Vapor Generation.......................................................................................................... 69 Observations........................................................................................................... 70 Recovered Heat...................................................................................................... 71 Boiler Heat Input.................................................................................................... 73 Vapor Fraction Leaving the Separator ................................................................... 75 Vapor and Weak Solution Ammonia Mass Fractions ............................................ 77 Absorption....................................................................................................................