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4E Comparative Analysis of Two sCO 2 Brayton/ORC Hybrid Configurations for Cooling Loads in Residential Applications Using Solar Radiation and African Palm Biomass

Author

Listed:
  • Guillermo Valencia

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia)

  • Víctor Merlano

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad del Atlántico, Barranquilla 080001, Colombia)

  • Cesar Isaza

    (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Montería 230002, Colombia)

Abstract

This study evaluates, from energy, exergy, exergo-sustainability, and environmental perspectives, two combined-cycle configurations based on a supercritical CO 2 Brayton cycle coupled to an ORC: a simple reheat configuration (S-CO 2 -ORC) and a recompression-reheat configuration (SRC-CO 2 -ORC). Both were assessed under two thermal sources: concentrated solar power (CSP) and a hybrid biomass-CSP source using oil palm residues. Sizing was based on the cooling demand of a 130-home residential complex in Barranquilla, estimated at 152 kW through hourly simulation. The SRC-CO 2 -ORC configuration delivered the best energy performance, reaching 138.38 kW and 55.34% with CSP and up to 157.28 kW and 57.66% under hybrid operation. The highest irreversibilities were concentrated in the solar field and receiver, while the thermal sources contributed more than 85% of the total carbon footprint. The lowest life-cycle impact corresponded to the SRC-CO 2 -ORC-Solar configuration, at 0.0117 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh, against 0.0194 kg CO 2 -eq/kWh for the S-CO 2 -ORC-Hybrid case. The results confirm the technical feasibility of these configurations for residential applications and reveal a clear trade-off between thermodynamic performance and minimum carbon footprint.

Suggested Citation

  • Guillermo Valencia & Víctor Merlano & Cesar Isaza, 2026. "4E Comparative Analysis of Two sCO 2 Brayton/ORC Hybrid Configurations for Cooling Loads in Residential Applications Using Solar Radiation and African Palm Biomass," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-34, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jcltec:v:8:y:2026:i:4:p:125-:d:2009546
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