IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i13p5742-d1684837.html

Thermodynamic Performance Analysis and Design of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Driven by Solar Energy for Power Generation

Author

Listed:
  • Abdulmalik Alkotami

    (Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Jeddah, P.O. Box 80327, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Energy is crucial for the development of the newest technologies that support human life and its needs, as well as industry and its uses. Due to the growing demand for energy, it is very important to find appropriate and excellent solutions, methods, and technologies in terms of environmental and economic impact. The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is optimal for power generation in today’s environmental and economic considerations. In this paper, the thermodynamic performance analysis and design of an ORC driven by solar energy for power generation were investigated. This study included the installation of the system for solar energy, where the thermal energy is used as an input for the organic Rankine cycle. Five different systems were developed as follows: basic (ORC), recuperative (ORC), regenerative (ORC), recuperative–regenerative (RR) (ORC), and basic (ORC) with reheat. Also, five different types of working fluids, toluene, R123, R11, n-pentane, and R141b used to compare the effect of changing parameters such as the temperature of the evaporator, temperature of condenser, difference in superheated temperature, and pressure of regenerative and reheat. The RR ORC system using toluene as a working fluid showed the best results for power, efficiency, and cost savings, which were 128.7 kW, 25.83%, and $1872/month, respectively.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdulmalik Alkotami, 2025. "Thermodynamic Performance Analysis and Design of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Driven by Solar Energy for Power Generation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5742-:d:1684837
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5742/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5742/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ma, Tao & Yang, Hongxing & Lu, Lin, 2014. "Solar photovoltaic system modeling and performance prediction," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 304-315.
    2. Igor Maksimov & Vladimir Kindra & Andrey Vegera & Andrey Rogalev & Nikolay Rogalev, 2024. "Thermodynamic Analysis and Optimization of Power Cycles for Waste Heat Recovery," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-27, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Li, Zhenpeng & Ma, Tao & Zhao, Jiaxin & Song, Aotian & Cheng, Yuanda, 2019. "Experimental study and performance analysis on solar photovoltaic panel integrated with phase change material," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 471-486.
    2. Ma, Tao & Li, Meng & Kazemian, Arash, 2020. "Photovoltaic thermal module and solar thermal collector connected in series to produce electricity and high-grade heat simultaneously," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    3. Mahmoudimehr, Javad & Shabani, Masoume, 2018. "Optimal design of hybrid photovoltaic-hydroelectric standalone energy system for north and south of Iran," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 238-251.
    4. Ma, Tao & Zhao, Jiaxin & Li, Zhenpeng, 2018. "Mathematical modelling and sensitivity analysis of solar photovoltaic panel integrated with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 1147-1158.
    5. Syed Majed Ashraf & M. Saad Bin Arif & Mohammed Khouj & Shahrin Md. Ayob & Muhammad I. Masud, 2025. "Python-Based Implementation of Metaheuristic MPPT Techniques: A Cost-Effective Framework for Solar Photovoltaic Systems in Developing Nations," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-18, June.
    6. Senturk, Ali, 2020. "Investigation of datasheet provided temperature coefficients of photovoltaic modules under various sky profiles at the field by applying a new validation procedure," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 644-652.
    7. Salma Riad & Naoual Bekkioui & Merlin Simo-Tagne & Ndukwu Macmanus Chinenye & Hamid Ez-Zahraouy, 2025. "Artificial Intelligence Prediction Analysis of Daily Power Photovoltaic Bifacial Modules in Two Moroccan Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-22, July.
    8. Wang, Meng & Peng, Jinqing & Luo, Yimo & Shen, Zhicheng & Yang, Hongxing, 2021. "Comparison of different simplistic prediction models for forecasting PV power output: Assessment with experimental measurements," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    9. Shen, Lu & Li, Zhenpeng & Ma, Tao, 2020. "Analysis of the power loss and quantification of the energy distribution in PV module," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).
    10. Xie, Jixing & Tang, Haida & Lyu, Yuanli & Liu, Wenjie & Tian, Xiangning & Li, Chunying, 2024. "Energy, environmental and economic performance of bi-facial photovoltaic noise barrier applied in city scale," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PA).
    11. Ma, Tao & Yang, Hongxing & Lu, Lin & Peng, Jinqing, 2015. "Optimal design of an autonomous solar–wind-pumped storage power supply system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 728-736.
    12. Driemeier, Carlos E. & Tonon, Giovana C. & Chagas, Mateus F. & Petrielli, Gabriel P. & Henzler, Daniele S. & Gomes, Luísa C.M. & Limeira, Bruno E. & Hernandes, Thayse A.D. & Morais, Edvaldo R., 2025. "Electrolytic hydrogen in a large-scale decarbonized grid with energy reservoirs: An assessment of carbon intensity and integrity," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 391(C).
    13. Ma, Tao & Guo, Zichang & Shen, Lu & Liu, Xing & Chen, Zhenwu & Zhou, Yong & Zhang, Xiaochun, 2021. "Performance modelling of photovoltaic modules under actual operating conditions considering loss mechanism and energy distribution," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 298(C).
    14. Raksa-in, Wachiraporn & Duangduean, Sirichai & Schulz, Eckart & Koonsrisuk, Atit, 2025. "Resolving performance contradictions in ORC and alternative power cycles: Systematic analysis of five technologies with time-adjusted economic insights," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).
    15. Ma, Tao & Zhang, Yijie & Gu, Wenbo & Xiao, Gang & Yang, Hongxing & Wang, Shuxiao, 2022. "Strategy comparison and techno-economic evaluation of a grid-connected photovoltaic-battery system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 1049-1060.
    16. Gu, Wenbo & Li, Senji & Liu, Xing & Chen, Zhenwu & Zhang, Xiaochun & Ma, Tao, 2021. "Experimental investigation of the bifacial photovoltaic module under real conditions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 1111-1122.
    17. Zhang, Yijie & Ma, Tao & Yang, Hongxing, 2025. "Prediction-based optimal system design of an improved building-to-vehicle-to-building energy community under different operation strategies concerning three PV installation types," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).
    18. Kazemian, Arash & Salari, Ali & Hakkaki-Fard, Ali & Ma, Tao, 2019. "Numerical investigation and parametric analysis of a photovoltaic thermal system integrated with phase change material," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 734-746.
    19. Li, Jierui & Ren, Xiaoying & Zhang, Fei & Li, Jingtao & Liu, Yulei, 2025. "A novel deep learning-based method for theoretical power fitting of photovoltaic generation," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 250(C).
    20. Zhang, Yijie & Ma, Tao & Yang, Hongxing, 2022. "Grid-connected photovoltaic battery systems: A comprehensive review and perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5742-:d:1684837. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.