Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2440/78365
Type: Conference paper
Title: Building a model to investigate the effect of varying ambient air temperature on air-cooled organic Rankine cycle plant performance
Author: Varney, J.
Bean, N.
Citation: Proceedings of the 2012 Australian Geothermal Energy Conference, 2012 / C. Huddlestone-Holmes, E. Gerner (eds.): pp.218-228
Publisher: Geoscience Australia
Publisher Place: Australia
Issue Date: 2012
Series/Report no.: Geoscience Australia Record; 2012/73
ISBN: 9781922201065
Conference Name: Australian Geothermal Energy Conference (5th : 2012 : Sydney, Australia)
Statement of
Responsibility: 
J.J. Varney and N. Bean
Abstract: Air-cooling is necessary for geothermal plays in dry areas and ambient air temperature significantly affects the power output of air-cooled thermal power plants. Hence, a method for determining the effect of ambient air temperature on subcritical and supercritical, air-cooled binary Rankine cycles using moderate temperature geothermal fluid and various working fluids is presented. Part of this method, includes a method for maximizing working fluid flow from a supercritical heat exchanger. In the example presented isobutane is used as the working fluid, while the geothermal fluid temperature and flowrate are set at 150°C and 126kg/s. Results of this analysis show that for every 14°C increase in ambient air temperature, above the ambient temperature used for design purposes, there is ~20% loss in brine efficiency; while conversely, there is no gain in brine efficiency for any drop in ambient air temperature below the ambient air temperature used for design purposes. Using the ambient air temperature distribution from Leigh Creek, Australia, this analysis shows that an optimally designed plant produces 6% more energy annually than a plant designed using the mean ambient temperature.
Keywords: Air-cooling
ambient temperature
binary Rankine cycle
super-critical heat exchanger
Description: GeoCat; 74874
Rights: © Commonwealth of Australia (Geoscience Australia) 2012 With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and where otherwise noted, all material in this publication is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence. (http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/)
Published version: http://www.ga.gov.au/servlet/BigObjFileManager?bigobjid=GA21231
Appears in Collections:Aurora harvest
Environment Institute publications
Mathematical Sciences publications

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