Effects of ammonia concentration on the thermodynamic performances of ammonia–water based power cycles

The power generation systems using a binary working fluid such as ammonia–water mixture are proven to be the feasible method for utilizing a low-temperature waste heat source. In this work, ammonia–water based Rankine (AWR) regenerative Rankine (AWRR) power generation cycles are comparatively analyzed by investigating the effects of ammonia mass concentration in the working fluid on the thermodynamic performances of systems. Temperature distributions of fluid streams in the heat exchanging devices are closely examined at different levels of ammonia concentration and they might be the most important design consideration in optimizing the power systems using a binary working fluid. The analysis shows that the lower limit of workable ammonia concentration decreases with increasing turbine inlet pressure. Results also show that both the thermal and exergy efficiencies of AWRR system are generally better than those of AWR system, and can have peaks at the minimum allowable ammonia concentrations in the working range of system operation.