Title: Development and exergy analysis of a newly designed tower-solar collector-based combined cooling-desalination system

Authors: Tawfiq Al-Mughanam

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, King Faisal University, P.O. Box 380, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: This study focuses on the proposal and analysis of a new solar tower-based cogeneration system where reverse osmosis (RO) unit is connected to Kalina cycle which combines internally with absorption refrigeration cycle (ARC) aiming to produce cooling and fresh water, simultaneously. System modelling was done in EES software based on mass, energy, and exergy equations. Analysis of the results revealed that cogeneration plant yield efficiencies of 44.54% energetically and 25.81% exergetically. The results further indicated that 23.14% of the total exergy destruction occurs in central receiver. The results provide important inferences about the exergetic performance of solar-based cooling-desalination cycle.

Keywords: tower solar collector; Kalina cycle; reverse osmosis; exergy; absorption refrigeration cycle; ARC.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2025.147646

International Journal of Exergy, 2025 Vol.47 No.3, pp.245 - 259

Received: 22 Dec 2024
Accepted: 13 Apr 2025
Published online: 24 Jul 2025 *

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