Simulation and Sensitivity Analysis of a Solar Driven Trigeneration System With Thermal Energy Storage

Abstract

In the joint European project Thermal Energy Storage for On-demand Solar Trigeneration (TES4Trig), an innovative solar driven CCHP (Combined Cycle Heat and Power) system was investigated. The main components of the CCHP system are an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) coupled with an Ejector Cooling Cycle (ECC), a solid-state thermal energy storage (TES) syfstem as well as a parabolic trough collector (PTC) field. The system will be demonstrated on-site at the Lavrio Technological and Cultural Park (LTCP) in Attica, Greece [1]. Simulation results of the system for supplying energy to the administrative building of the LTCP are presented. Furthermore, a simulation for a scaled-up system was carried out for a hospital in Heraklion. The results show that the scaled-up system can deliver 10 % of the electricity demand and 39 % of the heat demand with the ORC cycle. The ECC cycle covers 15 % of the cooling requirement. By that, a load factor of 81.4 % over a year is achieved. This can be further optimized by considering other PTC field variables and TES capacities. From an energy perspective, it can be concluded from the results that a TES4Trig system for large electricity, heating and cooling consumers such as a hospital has great potential for the future. It is preferable that the consumer has a continuous energy consumption to maximize system utilization.