The energetic and exergetic performance of an updated ORC (organic Rankine cycle) is investigated. The thermal efficiencies of the ORC at different heat source temperatures of about 100, 90, 80, and 70 °C are explored. The thermodynamic irreversibility that takes place in the evaporator,...

A naturally-controlled organic Rankine cycle (ORC) without negative work is proposed. Compared with conventional ORCs, the novel system uses gravity instead of a pump to pressurize the working fluid, and hence the problems associated with the pump can be avoided. A possible application of the...

The proposed system mainly consists of flat-plate compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs) integrated with photovoltaic (PV) cells and organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The technologies of CPC, PV cell and ORC are analyzed, and feasibility of the hybrid solar electricity system is demonstrated. Novel...

Domestic CHP (combined heat and power) generation is one new application of the ORC (organic Rankine cycle). An environment temperature fluctuation of 40 °C through the year is common in many areas, where the consumer's demand on heat follows a seasonal cycle. In no demand periods the ORC...

The electricity conversion-efficiency of a solar cell for commercial application is about 6-15%. More than 85% of the incoming solar energy is either reflected or absorbed as heat energy. Consequently, the working temperature of the solar cells increases considerably after prolonged operations...

A novel heat pump system is proposed in that the PV/T collector is coupled with a solar assisted heat pump and works as an evaporator. The cooling effect of the refrigerant allows the PV modules to work at lower temperature and so its photovoltaic efficiency is improved. Mathematical model has...

A flat-box aluminum-alloy photovoltaic and water-heating system designed for natural circulation was constructed. The hybrid photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) collector was an integration of single-crystalline silicon cells into a solar thermal collector. The product was able to generate electricity...

The working principles and the basic features of a multi-functional domestic heat-pump (MDHP) system are introduced in this paper. Comparatively, the system can provide much better energy performance and higher equipment utilization throughout a year, causes less thermal pollution than the...

Evacuated tube solar water heater systems are widely used in China due to their high thermal efficiency, simple construction requirements, and low manufacturing costs. CPC evacuated tube solar water heaters with a geometrical concentration ratio <em>C</em> of less than one are rare. A comparison of the...