Comparison of two schemes for district cooling system utilizing cold energy of liquefied natural gas

Two schemes（scheme Ⅰ and scheme Ⅱ）for designing a district cooling system（DCS）utilizing cold energy of liquefied natural gas（LNG）are presented.In scheme Ⅰ,LNG cold energy is used to produce ice,and then ice is transported to the central cooling plant of the DCS.In scheme Ⅱ,return water from the DCS is directly chilled by LNG cold energy,and the chilled water is then sent back to the central plant.The heat transportation loss is the main negative impact in the DCS and is emphatically analyzed when evaluating the efficiency of each scheme.The results show that the DCS utilizing LNG cold energy is feasible and valuable.The cooling supply distance of scheme Ⅱ is limited within 13 km while scheme Ⅰ has no distance limit.When the distance is between 6 and 13 km,scheme Ⅱ is more practical and effective.Contrarily,scheme Ⅰ has a better economic performance when the distance is shorter than 6 km or longer than 13 km.

Integration of Low-level Waste Heat Recovery and Liquefied Nature Gas Cold Energy Utilization

Two novel thermal cycles based on Brayton cycle and Rankine cycle are proposed, respectively, which integrate the recovery of low-level waste heat and Liquefied Nature Gas （LNG） cold energy utilization for power generation. Cascade utilization of energy is realized in the two thermal cycles, where low-level waste heat,low-temperature exergy and pressure exergy of LNG are utilized efficiently through the system synthesis. The simulations are carried out using the commercial Aspen Plus 10.2, and the results are analyzed. Compared with the conventional Brayton cycle and Rankine cycle, the two novel cycles bring 60.94% and 60% in exergy efficiency, respectively and 53.08% and 52.31% in thermal efficiency, respectively.

Numerical Analysis of Doublet Wells for Cold Energy Storage on Heat Damage Treatment in Deep Mines

Deep mining is an inevitable tendency in the development of coal industry. There are many heat damage problems with the increase of mining depth. The technology of using doublet wells, together with Heat Exchange Machine Systems （HEMSs）, to store cold energy is a key to solve the heat damage problems in deep mines. Based on the geological conditions, thermodynamic and hydraulic parameters of Jiahe Mine, the isotherms in the period of cold energy storage and refrigeration and the volumes of cold water within different temperature ranges of the cold energy storage well were numerically analyzed. The results show that 1） with the same pumped and injected water volumes, the lower the temperature of injected water is, the larger the volume.of cold water in the cold energy storage well is. With the larger volume, the effect of cold energy storage is better. 2） the larger the volumes of pumped and reinjected water frigeration is better. And 3） without disturbance, the volume and temperature of cold water in the cold energy storage well can keep unchanged or have only a little change for a long time. Therefore the technology of doublet wells for cold energy storage is feasible and the cold energy storage aquifers can meet the requirement of the technology.

An Improved Combined Power System Utilizing Cold Energy of LNG

In order to improve efficiency of a combined power system in which waste heat from exhaust gas could be efficiently recovered and cold energ^^ of liquefied natural gas （LNG） could be fully utilized as well. A system simulation and ther^nodynamic analysis were carried out, the Kalina cycle was reorganized by changing the concentration of “basic composition”, so that a better thermal matching in the heat exchanger could be obtained and the irreversibility of the system was decreased. It was found that the Kalina cycle generally used in the bottom of combined power cycle could also be used to recover the cold energy of LNG. The results show that the exergy efficiency of 42.97% is obtained. Compared with the previous system attained the exergy efficiency of 39.76%, the improved system has a better performance.

Guangdong Dapeng LNG cold energy utilization-C_2++ extraction process integration

This paper makes a study of some technical and engineering aspects by using C2 ＋ hydrocarbon separation facility at Guangdong Dapeng liquefied natural gas （GDLNG） terminal. In the C2＋ hydrocarbon extraction process, the cold energy contained in LNG will be utilized. In order to ensure the optimum operating conditions of the temlinal and C2 ＋ hydrocarbon extraction facility by optimizing the current operating processes of the terminal, the C2 ＋ hydrocarbon extraction facility construction plan is proposed. We conducted numerous calculations and simulations using such specific analysis software as PRO II 〈 version 7.0 〉. Additionally available flow data are used to verify the cyclic send-out rates from the terminal, thus establishing the current and future projected load factors. This study is intended to make sure that GDLNG can continue to supply gas via the pipeline system safely without interruptions and most significantly solves the effects of flow fluctuations at the terminal gasification send-out facility on the hydrocarbons extraction, ensuring optimum pipeline operations and ensuring safe and effective means for such C2＋ hydrocarbons extraction process as well. At the same time, the terminal is also in the optimum operation condition. This is very significant to the terminal safety operation and the energy conservation and emission reduction.

A review on technologies with electricity generation potentials using liquified natural gas regasification cold energy

In modern times,worldwide requirements to curb greenhouse gas emissions,and increment in energy demand due to the progress of humanity,have become a serious concern.In such scenarios,the effective and efficient utilization of the liquified natural gas(LNG)regasification cold energy(RCE),in the economically and environmentally viable methods,could present a great opportunity in tackling the core issues related to global warming across the world.In this paper,the technologies that are widely used to harness the LNG RCE for electrical power have been reviewed.The systems incorporating,the Rankine cycles,Stirling engines,Kalina cycles,Brayton cycles,Allam cycles,and fuel cells have been considered.Additionally,the economic and environmental studies apart from the thermal studies have also been reviewed.Moreover,the discussion regarding the systems with respect to the regassification pressure of the LNG has also been provided.The aim of this paper is to provide guidelines for the prospective researchers and policy makers in their decision making.

Process Study and Exergy Analysis of a Novel Air Separation Process Cooled by LNG Cold Energy

In order to resolve the problems of the current air separation process such as the complex process, cumbersome operation and high operating costs, a novel air separation process cooled by LNG cold energy is proposed in this paper, which is based on high-efficiency heat exchanger network and chemical packing separation technology. The operating temperature range of LNG cold energy is widened from 133K-203K to l13K-283K by high- efficiency heat exchanger network and air separation pressure is declined from 0.5MPa to about 0.35MPa due to packing separation technology, thereby greatly improve the energy efficiency. Both the traditional and novel air separation processes are simulated with air handling capacity of 20t＇h-1. Comparing with the traditional process, the LNG consumption is reduced by 44.2%, power consumption decrease is 211.5 kWh per hour, which means the annual benefit will be up to 1.218 million CNY. And the exergy efficiency is also improved by 42.5%.

A review of cryogenic power generation cycles with liquefied natural gas cold energy utilization

Liquefied natural gas （LNG）, an increasingly widely applied clean fuel, releases a large number of cold energy in its regasification process. In the present paper, the existing power generation cycles utilizing LNG cold energy are introduced and summarized. The direction of cycle improvement can be divided into the key factors affecting basic power generation cycles and the structural enhancement of cycles utilizing LNG cold energy. The former includes the effects of LNG-side parameters, working fluids, and inlet and outlet thermodynamic parameters of equipment, while the latter is based on Rankine cycle, Brayton cycle, Kalina cycle and their compound cycles. In the present paper, the diversities of cryogenic power generation cycles utilizing LNG cold energy are discussed and analyzed. It is pointed out that further researches should focus on the selection and component matching of organic mixed working fluids and the combination of process simulation and experi- mental investigation, etc.

Design and Optimization of a Full-Generation System for Marine LNG Cold Energy Cascade Utilization

This paper took a 100,000 DWT LNG fuel powered ship as the research object.Based on the idea of"temperature matching,cascade utilization"and combined with the application conditions of the ship,a horizontal three-level nested Rankine cycle full-generation system which combined the high-temperature waste heat of the main engine flue gas with the low-temperature cold energy of LNG was proposed in this paper.Furthermore,based on the analysis and selection of the parameters which had high sensitivity to the system performance,the parameters of the proposed system were optimized by using the genetic algorithm.After optimization,the exergy efficiency of the marine LNG gasification cold energy cascade utilization power generation system can reach 48.06%,and the thermal efficiency can reach 35.56%.In addition,this paper took LNG net power generation as the performance index,and compared it with the typical LNG cold energy utilization power generation system in this field.The results showed that the unit mass flow LNG power generation of the system proposed in this paper was the largest,reaching 457.41 k W.

A simplified model of direct-contact heat transfer in desalination system utilizing LNG cold energy

With the increasingly extensive utilization of liquefied natural gas （LNG） in China today, sustainable and effective using of LNG cold energy is becoming increasingly important. In this paper, the utilization of LNG cold energy in seawater desalination system is proposed and analyzed. In this system, the cold energy of the LNG is first transferred to a kind of refrigerant, i.e., butane, which is immiscible with water. The cold refrigerant is then directly injected into the seawater. As a result, the refrigerant droplet is continuously heated and vaporized, and in consequence some of the seawater is simultaneously frozen. The formed ice crystal contains much less salt than that in the original seawater. A simplified model of the direct-contact heat transfer in this desalination system is proposed and theoretical analyses are conducted, taking into account both energy balance and population balance. The number density distribution of two-phase bubbles, the heat transfer between the two immiscible fluids, and the temperature variation are then deduced. The influences of initial size of dispersed phase droplets, the initial temperature of continuous phase, and the volumetric heat transfer coefficient are also clarified. The calculated results are in reasonable agreement with the available experimental data of the R114/water system.

Experimental research and numerical simulation of the thermal performance of a tube-fin cold energy storage unit using water/modified expanded graphite as the phase change material

In this study,experimental and numerical investigations were conducted on a tube-fin heat-exchanger latent-heat cold energy storage unit.The fin side of the heat exchanger was filled with water as the energy storage medium,and modified expanded graphite(MEG)was employed to improve the thermal characteristics of water.The water contact angle of the expanded graphite decreased from 106.31°to 0°,and the hydrophilicity and the absorption rate of water significantly improved after the modification.Moreover,the experimental analyses of the charge/discharge process showed that the cooling capacity of the system filled with 90 wt.%water/MEG was 80.8%of that of pure water,whereas its cooling time was only 69.7%of that of pure water.The average power increased by 15.9%compared with that of water.The system filled with 90 wt.%water/MEG completed two energy charging and discharging cycles,whereas the system filled with water completed only 1.5 cycles within 15000 s.Furthermore,the effects of the flow rate and inlet temperature of the heat transfer fluid on the charging process were explored.Finally,a numerical model was built and validated to investigate the phase change behavior and the effect of the structure size on the performance of the system.The heat-exchanger fin spacing had no significant effect on the cold energy storage unit,whereas the vertical spacing of the tube pass had the highest effect.It can be concluded that the heat exchanger combined with high-thermal-conductivity water/MEG exhibits better energy storage capacity and working power,showing a wide application prospect in the field of cold energy storage.

Performance improvement of a pulse tube cryocooler with a single compressor through cascade utilization of cold energy

The high-frequency pulse tube cryocooler(HPTC)has been attracting increasing and widespread attention in the field of cryogenic technology because of its compact structure,low vibration,and reliable operation.The gas-coupled HPTC,driven by a single compressor,is currently the simplest and most compact structure.For HPTCs operating below 20 K,in order to obtain the mW cooling capacity,hundreds or even thousands of watts of electrical power are consumed,where radiation heat leakage accounts for a large proportion of their cooling capacity.In this paper,based on SAGE10,a HPTC heat radiation calculation model was first established to study the effects of radiation heat leakage on apparent performance parameters(such as temperature and cooling capacity),and internal parameters(such as enthalpy flow and gas distribution)of the gas-coupled HPTC.An active thermal insulation method of cascade utilization of the cold energy of the system was proposed for the gas-coupled HPTC.Numerical simulations indicate that the reduction of external radiation heat leakage cannot only directly increase the net cooling power,but also decrease the internal gross losses and increase the mass and acoustic power in the lower-temperature section,which further enhances the refrigeration performance.The numerical calculation results were verified by experiments,and the test results showed that the no-load temperature of the developed cryocooler prototype decreased from 15.1 K to 6.4 K,and the relative Carnot efficiency at 15.5 K increased from 0.029%to 0.996%when substituting the proposed active method for the traditional passive method with multi-layer thermal insulation materials.

Numerical simulation of underground seasonal cold energy storage for a 10 MW solar thermal power plant in north-western China using TRNSYS

This paper aims to explore an efficient, cost-effective, and water-saving seasonal cold energy storage technique based on borehole heat exchangers to cool the condenser water in a 10 MW solar thermal power plant. The proposed seasonal cooling mechanism is designed for the areas under typical weather conditions to utilize the low ambient temperature during the winter season and to store cold energy. The main objective of this paper is to utilize the storage unit in the peak summer months to cool the condenser water and to replace the dry cooling system. Using the simulation platform transient system simulation program (TRNSYS), the borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) system model has been developed and the dynamic capacity of the system in the charging and discharging mode of cold energy for one-year operation is studied. The typical meteorological year (TMY) data of Dunhuang, Gansu province, in north-western China, is utilized to determine the lowest ambient temperature and operation time of the system to store cold energy. The proposed seasonal cooling system is capable of enhancing the efficiency of a solar thermal power plant up to 1.54% and 2.74% in comparison with the water-cooled condenser system and air-cooled condenser system respectively. The techno-economic assessment of the proposed technique also supports its integration with the condenser unit in the solar thermal power plant. This technique has also a great potential to save the water in desert areas.

Construction and Optimization of Liquefied Natural Gas Regasification Cold Energy Comprehensive Utilization System on Floating Storage Regasification Unit

In this paper, the efficient utilization of liquefied natural gas(LNG) vaporization cold energy in offshore liquefied natural gas floating storage regasification unit(FSRU) is studied. On the basis of considering different boil-off gas(BOG) practical treatment processes, a cascade comprehensive utilization scheme of cold energy of LNG based on the longitudinal three-stage organic Rankine cycle power generation and the low-grade cold energy used to frozen seawater desalination was proposed. Through the comparative analysis of the effects of the pure working fluid and eight mixed working fluids on the performance of the new system, the combination scheme of system mixed working fluid with the highest exergy efficiency of the system was determined. Then, the genetic algorithm was used to optimize the parameters of the new system. After optimization, the net output power of the LNG cold energy comprehensive utilization system proposed in this paper was 5186 kW, and the exergy efficiency is 30.6%. Considering the power generation and freshwater revenue, the annual economic benefit of the system operating is 18.71 million CNY.

Effects of sustained cold and heat stress on energy intake, growth and mitochondrial function of broiler chickens

To study the correlation of broiler chickens with energy intake, growth and mitochondrial function which exposed to sustained cold and heat stress and to find out the comfortable temperature, 288 broiler chickens（21-day with（748±26） g, 144 males and 144 females） were divided randomly into six temperature-controlled chambers. Each chamber contained six cages including eight AA broilers per cage, each cage as a repeat. After acclimation for one week（temperature, 21℃; relative humidity, 60%）, the temperature of each chamber was adjusted（finished within 1 h） respectively to 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, or 30℃（RH, 60%） for a 14-day experimental period. After treatment, gross energy intake（GEI）, metabolizable energy intake（MEI）, the ratio of MEI/BW, metabolizability, average daily gain（ADG）, the concentration of liver mitochondria protein and cytochrome c oxidase（CCO） were measured respectively. Our results confirmed that when the temperature over 26℃ for 14 days, GEI, MEI and CCO activities were decreased significantly（P〈0.05）, but the concentration of liver mitochondria protein was increased and metabolizability of broilers was not influenced（P〉0.05）. Compared with treatment for 14 days, the ratio of MEI/body weight（BW） were also decreased when the temperature over 26℃ after temperature stress for 7 days（P〈0.05）, meanwhile mitochondrial protein concentration was increased at 10℃ and CCO activity was not affected（P〉0.05）. Additionally at 22℃, the ADG reached the maximal value. When kept in uncomfortable temperatures for a long time, the ADG and CCO activities of broiler were reduced, which was accompanied by mitochondrial hyperplasia. In summary, our study focused on the performance of broilers during sustained cold and heat environmental temperatures ranging from 10 to 30℃. From the point of view of energy utilization, moreover, 22 to 26℃ is comfortable for 28–42 day s broilers. And these could provide the theoretical basis on the high efficient production.

Comparative Study on Distributed Waste Pyrolysis Cold Emission Energy Station and Incineration Power Generation

The proper terminal disposal of organic solid waste such as domestic waste is a worldwide issue.Landfill covers a large area,with limited capacity,and a single landfill will be filled one day;incineration is costly to build and operate.These methods all need to transfer and centralized treatment,and secondary pollution is difficult to control,against the purification law of the nature."NIMBY effect"is very serious,and the social cost of treatment is increasing,becoming a heavy financial burden."The Distributed Waste Pyrolysis Cold Emission Energy Station"developed by Hunan Zhongzhou Energy-Saving Technology Co.,Ltd.overcomes these disadvantages and constructs a more appropriate environmental economic industrial chain for the treatment of organic solid waste such as urban and rural household waste.Based on its technical characteristics,this paper compares it with waste incineration power generation project in the aspects of secondary pollution control,treatment effect,energy utilization,investment and operation economy,etc.

Mesoporous molecular sieve confined phase change materials with high absorption,enhanced thermal conductivity,and cooling energy charging/discharging capacity

The biggest challenge for organic phase change materials(PCMs)used in cold energy storage is to maintain high heat storage capacity while reducing the leakage risk of PCMs during the phase transition process.This is crucial for expanding their applications in the more demanding cold storage field.In this study,novel formstable low-temperature composite PCMs are prepared with mesoporous materials,namely SBA-15 and CMK-3(which are prepared using the template method),as supporting matrices and dodecane as the PCM.Owing to the combined effects of capillary forces within mesoporous materials and interactions among dodecane molecules,both dodecane/SBA-15 and dodecane/CMK-3 exhibit outstanding shape stability and thermal cycling stability even after 200 heating/cooling cycles.In comparison to those of dodecane/SBA-15,dodecane/CMK-3 exhibits superior cold storage performance and higher thermal conductivity.Specifically,the phase transition temperature of dodecane/CMK-3 is-8.81℃ with a latent heat of 122.4 J·g^(-1).Additionally,it has a thermal conductivity of 1.21 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1),which is 9.45 times that of dodecane alone.All these highlight its significant potential for applications in the area of cold energy storage.

A fully solid-state cold thermal energy storage device for car seats using shape-memory alloys

Thermal energy storage has been a pivotal technology to fill the gap between energy demands and energy supplies.As a solid-solid phase change material,shape-memory alloys(SMAs)have the inherent advantages of leakage free,no encapsulation,negligible volume variation,as well as superior energy storage properties such as high thermal conductivity(compared with ice and paraffin)and volumetric energy density,making them excellent thermal energy storage materials.Considering these characteristics,the design of the shape-memory alloy based the cold thermal energy storage system for precooling car seat application is introduced in this paper based on the proposed shape-memory alloy-based cold thermal energy storage cycle.The simulation results show that the minimum temperature of the metal boss under the seat reaches 26.2°C at 9.85 s,which is reduced by 9.8°C,and the energy storage efficiency of the device is 66%.The influence of initial temperature,elastocaloric materials,and the shape-memory alloy geometry scheme on the performance of car seat cold thermal energy storage devices is also discussed.Since SMAs are both solid-state refrigerants and thermal energy storage materials,hopefully the proposed concept can promote the development of more promising shape-memory alloy-based cold and hot thermal energy storage devices.

Simulation and analysis of a peak regulation gas power plant with advanced energy storage and cryogenic CO_(2) capture

Flexible gas power plants are subject to energy storage,peak regulations,and greenhouse gas emissions.This study proposes an integrated power generation system that combines liquid air energy storage(LAES),liquefied natural gas(LNG)cold energy utilization,gas power systems,and CO_(2) capture and storage(CCS)technologies,named the LAES-LNG-CCS system.The off-peak electricity can be stored in liquid air.During the peak period,air and gas turbines generate supplementary electricity.Both LNG chemical energy and cold energy were considered:the former was used for gas power plants,and the latter was used for LAES regasification and CCS processes.Based on the thermodynamic analysis,we evaluated the effects of the recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature on the system power consumption and efficiency.The results demonstrated that the system recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature had the greatest effects on system power generation.Round-trip efficiency(RTE)was significantly affected by combustion temperature.The largest exergy loss occurred in the gas power plant.The optimal system operating ranges of the system recovery pressure,CCS pressure,and combustion temperature were 6−10 MPa,0.53−0.8 MPa,and 1,503−1,773 K,where the RTEs and𝜂Ex,RS reached 55%−58.98%and 74.6%−76%,respectively.The proposed system can simultaneously achieve the synergistic functions of large-scale energy storage,multilevel energy utilization,peak regulation,and carbon emission reduction.It can also be widely used in advanced distributed energy storage applications in the future.

Application of a concrete thermal pile in cooling the warming permafrost under climate change

Permafrost degradation caused by climate warming is posing a serious threat to the stability of cast-in-place pile foundations in warm permafrost regions.Ambient cold energy can be effectively utilized by two-phase closed thermosyphons(TPCTs)to cool the permafrost.Therefore,we installed TPCTs in a cast-in-place pile foundation to create a unique structure called a thermal pile,which effectively utilizes the TPCTs to regulate ground temperature.And we conducted a case study and numerical simulation to exhibit the cooling performance,and optimize the structure of the thermal pile.The purpose of this study is to promote the application of thermal piles in unstable permafrost regions.Based on the findings,the thermal pile operated for approximately 53%of the entire year and effectively reduced the deep ground temperature at a rate of at least-0.1℃per year.Additionally,it successfully raised the permafrost table that is 0.35 m shallower than the natural ground level.These characteristics prove highly beneficial in mitigating the adverse effects of permafrost degradation and enhancing infrastructure safety.Expanding the length of the condenser section and the diameter of the TPCT in a suitable manner can effectively enhance the cooling capability of the thermal pile and ensure the long-term mechanical stability of the pile foundation even under climate warming.