Energy, Exergy and Themoeconomic Analysis of an Industrial Solar Pond

Abstract

This study evaluates the viability of an industrial salinity gradient solar pond during two operating seasons (2014 and 2015). Energy analysis indicate that the NCZ and the UCZ have low efficiencies because these zones have a low capacity to store heat and no heat extractions are carried out from these zones. In contrast, heat extraction in LCZ has a positive impact on the system because it increases the capacity of the solar pond to store energy. Thus, higher efficiencies were achieved in the second operation period in LCZ. The overall exergy efficiency of the LCZ after the first and second operation periods were 1.6% and 2.3%, respectively. The solar pond works at temperatures close to room temperature and thus the exergetic efficiency decreases significantly. Regarding the thermoeconomic analysis, the cost of exergy stored, is studied in this work, using two different approaches. The exergy-stored price tends to the decrease inversely to the fuel oil price. The cost of the exergy stored needs to be between four to five times higher than the fuel oil price for the solar pond system to be feasible., Thus, it can be concluded that current facility cannot be considered feasible from thermoeconomic point of view.