Thermodynamic analysis of a solar-biomass cogeneration power and cooling by employing an ejector and single-effect absorption refrigeration system

In the present research, a novel solar-biomass hybrid cogeneration energy system is designed to operate in all weather condition where biomass and Direct Normal Irradiance (DNI) both are available. The proposed model integrates the Rankine cycle with an ejector and absorption refrigeration cycle, which utilized the low-temperature energy source available at the exit of the steam turbine and Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) to produce power and cooling simultaneously. The solid waste, rice husk, sugarcane bagasse and apple bagasse biomasses are used in the fluidized bed gasifier. First and second law analysis tools are used in order to assess the performance of the cogeneration energy system. The results find out the effects of some parameters on first and second law efficiencies when operated on both biomass and solar energy. The overall first and second law efficiencies of the system are found to be 42.29% and 39.72% for solid waste ranking 1 amongst all the four biomass materials respectively. A slight gain in the first and second law efficiencies 62.1% and 27.71% was observed after a considerable increase in the value of DNI at different operating conditions. The overall cycle efficiency is increasing due to cogeneration system and it is economically viable option because solar energy is freely available everywhere.