Study on the Operation of the LUTsCO2 Test Loop with Pure CO2 and CO2 + SO2 Mixture Through Dynamic Modeling

Study on the Operation of the LUTsCO2 Test Loop with Pure CO2 and CO2 + SO2 Mixture Through Dynamic Modeling

af | maj 2, 2023 | Publications, Results - CO2 Mixtures in thermodynamic cycles

Within the framework of the Horizon 2020 DESOLINATION (DEmonstration of concentrated SOLar power coupled wIth advaNced desAlinaTion system in the gulf regION) project, CO2-based mixtures will be used as the working fluid of the power cycle coupled with the desalination plant. Desalination technologies require temperatures above 50℃, therefore a fluid with a critical temperature above 70 ℃ is required to perform the compression step in the liquid phase, minimizing compression work and increasing cycle efficiency. Blending CO2 with other fluids, such as SO2, leads to an increase in the critical temperature of the mixture and makes it suitable for transcritical cycles in concentrated solar power applications, while preserving the advantages of pure CO2 over steam cycles. Throughout the DESOLINATION project, CO2 blends will be tested in the LUTsCO2 test loop to provide validation data for the design of heat exchangers. In this work, the adaptation of the test loop to the CO2 blend is investigated. A dynamic model of the test loop is built in MATLAB-Simulink, which allows each component to be modeled independently and to realize a closed-loop cycle model coupled with a controller and real gas property tables. Steady-state simulations of the system are performed and the dynamic model of each component is verified with the design values. As a result, the study highlights the key performance and fluid dynamic differences which arise from the use of a CO2 blend instead of pure CO2.

Keywords:

  • CO2 mixtures
  • Transcritical refrigeration cycle
  • Dynamic model
  • Simulink
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Authors:

Giuseppe Petruccelli Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Lappeenranta, Finland

Teemu Turunen-Saaresti Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Lappeenranta, Finland

Aki Grönman Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Lappeenranta, Finland

Afonso Lugo Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT, Lappeenranta, Finland

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Techno-Economic Analysis of Brine Treatment by Multi-Crystallization Separation Process for Zero Liquid Discharge

Techno-Economic Analysis of Brine Treatment by Multi-Crystallization Separation Process for Zero Liquid Discharge

af | okt 8, 2022 | Publications, Results - Brine treatment

This study analyses the concept of a novel multi-crystallization system to achieve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) for desalination plants using an innovative heat recovery system consisting of a heat transfer fluid and a compressor to reduce energy consumption. The main focus is to recover water and separately extract salts from seawater brines with high purity, including calcite, anhydrite, sodium chloride, and epsomite, which can be sold to the cement industry. The system is compared with a conventional brine treatment system. The energy demand and economic feasibility of both systems are assessed to evaluate profitability at a scale of 1000 kg/h. The results estimate that the utilization of a heat recovery fluid reduces energy consumption from 690 kWhth/ton of feed brine to 125.90 kWhth/ton equaling a total electric consumption of 60.72 kWhe/ton. The system can recover 99.2% of water and reduce brine discharge mass by 98.9%. The system can recover 53.8% of calcite at near 100% purity, 96.4% of anhydrite at 97.7% purity, 91.6% of NaCl at near 100% purity, and 71.1% of epsomite at 40.7% purity. Resource recovery accounts for additional revenues, with halite and water accounting respectively for 69.85% and 29.52% of the income. The contribution of calcite and anhydrite to revenue is very low due to their low production. The levelized cost of water (LCOW) of the multi-crystallization system is 13.79 USD/m3 as opposed to 7.85 USD/m3 for the conventional ZLD system. The economic analyses estimate that the conventional ZLD system can achieve payback after 7.69 years. The high electricity cost, which accounts for 68.7% of the annual expenses, can be produced from renewable sources.
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Authors:
Mr. Kristofer Poirier
School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
Department of Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, German University of Technology in Oman, Halban 1816, Oman
Prof. Dr. Kumar Patchigoll School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedford, Bedfordshire MK43 0AL, UK
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World Utilities Congress 2022 | Abu Dhabi

World Utilities Congress 2022 | Abu Dhabi

af | maj 9, 2022 | Events, News

Our project partner Aalborg CSP received a very warm welcome at the World Utilities Congress, from May 9-11, 2022 and an excellent response from attendees, with around 150 visits to its stand presenting the DESOLINATION project.

Hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and organised by dmg events, the World Utilities Congress is the global meeting place for senior local, regional and international utilities professionals to connect with governments, policy makers and industry leaders, to discuss trends and to explore technologies and innovations that influence future demand for energy and water.

More information about the event
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Press release: DESOLINATION presented in the French Plein Soleil Webzine!

Press release: DESOLINATION presented in the French Plein Soleil Webzine!

af | jun 19, 2021 | Article, Pressemeddelelse

Plein Soleil, et førende fransk digitalt magasin med fokus på vedvarende energi i bygninger, har omtalt vores innovative projekt DESOLINATION. Vi inviterer dig til at besøge deres hjemmeside for at læse hele pressemeddelelsen og få mere at vide om dette spændende projekt.

DESOLINATION, en stemningsfuld neologisme, repræsenterer et banebrydende europæisk projekt til 10 millioner euro, der involverer 19 partnere fra 12 EU-lande. Initiativet har til formål at udvikle en unik og effektiv kobling af koncentreret solenergi og afsaltningsteknikker til havvand. Det første pilotanlæg vil blive taget i brug i Saudi-Arabien, hvilket er et stort skridt fremad for bæredygtig vandproduktion.

Horizon 2020-projektet DESOLINATION, der begynder den 1. juni 2021 og løber frem til maj 2025, vil introducere banebrydende teknologier til at forbedre både uafhængige og koblede systemer til solenergi og afsaltning. Det endelige demonstrationssystem bliver et 2 MW kraftværk i Saudi-Arabien, der kombinerer disse to lovende teknologier for at opnå en hidtil uset effektivitet.

Prisbilligt, kulstoffattigt ferskvand fra solenergi

Med fokus på Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-regionen vil DESOLINATION teste og implementere sin prototype på King Saud University i Riyadh, Saudi-Arabien. Prototypen udnytter de store solressourcer og den store efterspørgsel efter afsaltet vand og har til formål at levere vedvarende elektricitet til lave omkostninger (<90 €/MWh) og ferskvand til en overkommelig pris (<0,9 €/m3). Derudover vil systemet reducere CO2-emissionerne betydeligt sammenlignet med traditionelle afsaltningsmetoder: 30% reduktion sammenlignet med direkte osmosesystemer, 40% sammenlignet med omvendt osmose og 70% sammenlignet med termisk afsaltning.

DESOLINATION vil innovere inden for forskellige områder. På solenergifronten vil CO2-blandinger drive mere effektive og omkostningseffektive kraftcyklusser med kontrollerbare parametre. Inden for afsaltning af vand vil direkte osmose blive udviklet og koblet sammen med membrandestillation, så spildvarmen fra energicyklussen udnyttes til at producere ferskvand. Denne unikke kombination vil gøre det muligt for det nye koblede system at opnå en høj effektivitet i omdannelsen af spildvarme til ferskvand.

Gennem hele projektet vil EU og GCC-landene samarbejde om at levere en teknologisk demonstrator på højt niveau. DESOLINATION samler nogle af verdens førende eksperter inden for koncentreret solenergi, design af CO2-energikredsløb, afsaltningsprocesser, separationsmembraner og systemintegration for at opfylde projektets mål og sikre et stærkt markedsoptag efter afslutningen. Projektet omfatter 19 partnere fra 9 EU-lande og 3 GCC-lande, herunder 13 topuniversiteter og forskningscentre og 6 industri- og SMV-partnere.

Besøg Plein Soleils hjemmeside for at læse hele pressemeddelelsen og få mere at vide om det innovative DESOLINATION-projekt.

Læs hele pressemeddelelsen
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