Energy analysis of a solar driven cogeneration system using supercritical CO₂ power cycle and MEE-TVC desalination system

Performance analysis is conducted for a solar driven supercritical CO₂ Brayton cycle combined with a multiple effect evaporation with thermal vapor compression (MEE-TVC) for power and desalinated water production. The study proposes two new different supercritical Brayton cycles, namely, the regeneration and recompression sCO₂ cycles. A new efficiency equation for the combined power and water production is derived. The findings show that a 6.25% of efficiency increase results from utilizing the recompression cycle compared to the regeneration cycle. The effect of the fraction (f) of the heat entering the sCO₂ cycle, turbine inlet temperature (TIT), and turbine inlet pressure (TIP) on the power to water ratio (PWR) and effective efficiency are also investigated. It is found that the PWR increases exponentially with respect to the increase in fraction reaching 2.8 and 3 kW/m³day for the regeneration and recompression cycle, respectively at a fraction of 0.8. To assess the variation of solar radiation at different locations, the study is performed for different regions of Saudi Arabia; and it is found that the highest productivity is that for the region of Yanbu, followed by Khabt Al-Ghusn, and the rest in a descending order are Jabal Al-Rughamah, Jizan, Al-Khafji, and Dhahran. - Highlights: • Two solar driven cogeneration systems were studied considering thermal energy storage. • A new efficiency equation for the combined power and water production is derived. • The recompression solar cogeneration configuration generates more power than the regeneration solar cogeneration. • The power to water ratio increases with respect to the increase in fraction, for both configurations. • The PWR and effective efficiency increase with the increase in the turbine inlet pressure for both configurations.