Advanced Thermodynamic Analysis Applied to an Integrated Solar Combined Cycle System

The variation performance of integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) is presented using energy, conventional exergy and advanced exergy analysis methods to provide information about exergy destruction of components and efficiencies of overall plant. Moreover, the theory of dividing the exergy destruction of main components into unavoidable/avoidable and exogenous/endogenous parts allows for further understanding the real potentials for improving. Besides, the exergy destruction rate and exergy efficiency of components as well as overall plant were hourly analyzed within a typical day. Results indicate the exergy destruction rate of overall system drops from 49.79% to 44.65% in summer and decreases from 49.79% to 47.59% in winter. As the solar irradiation intensity rises, the solar field efficiency reaches to 42.16% in winter and 47.5% in summer. The solar-to-electric energy efficiency gets to 13.69% in winter and 15.46% in summer. In addition, with the increase of solar energy input to the ISCC system, the exergy destruction of Brayton cycle components decreases; however, the exergy destruction of Rankine cycle components increases. Furthermore, the exergy destruction of solar field has a large extended from 14.55 MW to 58.03 MW. Moreover, the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) and the steam turbines have the largest exergy destruction rate of 11.26% and 13.63% at 15:00 p.m.