Entropy and Exergy Analysis of a Heat Recovery Vapor Generator for Ammonia-Water Mixtures

Recently power generation systems using ammonia-water binary mixtures as a working fluid have been attracting much attention for their efficient conversion of low-grade heat sources into useful energy forms. This paper presents the First and Second Law thermodynamic analysis for a heat recovery vapor generator (HRVG) of ammonia-water mixtures when the heat source is low-temperature energy in the form of sensible heat. In the analysis, key parameters such as ammonia mass concentration and pressure of the binary mixture are studied to investigate their effects on the system performance, including the effectiveness of heat transfer, entropy generation, and exergy efficiency. The results show that the ammonia concentration and the pressure of the mixture have significant effects on the system performance of the HRVG.