Title: Splitting the exergy destructions of an olive oil refining plant into avoidable and unavoidable parts based on actual operational data

Authors: Elif Bozoglan; Zafer Erbay; Arif Hepbasli; Huseyin Gunerhan

Addresses: Department of Management, Taris Olive Oil Agricultural Industrial Commercial Company, Izmir, 35280, Turkey ' Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Food Engineering, Adana Science and Technology University, Adana, 01180, Turkey ' Faculty of Engineering, Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Yaşar University, 35100, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey ' Faculty of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ege University, Bornova, Izmir, 35100, Turkey

Abstract: This study focused on assessing the performance of an olive oil refinery plant (with an oil capacity of 5595 kg/h) located in Izmir, Turkey. The analysis was performed with the use of actual operational data of the system components while an advanced exergy analysis method was used. By this way, unavoidable and avoidable destructions of olive oil refinery plant components were obtained. The results indicated that the greater part of the exergy destructions detected in the system were avoidable and could be minimised by improvements in the design. The highest exergy destruction rate (217.96 kW) was determined owing to the distillation unit of the system with a markedly high unavoidable exergy destruction ratio of 50.92%. In addition, the efficiencies of the components in the plant varied from 5.67% to 90.7% while their corresponding modified exergetic efficiencies were in the range of 8.74% and 92.48%.

Keywords: exergy analysis; olive oil refining plants; exergy destruction; Turkey; distillation unit; exergy efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEX.2016.079303

International Journal of Exergy, 2016 Vol.21 No.3, pp.277 - 294

Received: 19 Jan 2016
Accepted: 28 Mar 2016
Published online: 26 Sep 2016 *

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