Energy and Exergy Analysis of Recuperative Organic Rankine Cycle for Six Low-GWP Refrigerants

The need to recover waste heat from industrial operations is highlighted by the growing need for sustainable energy solutions worldwide. This heat is frequently wasted, which reduces system effectiveness and deteriorates environmental effects. A thorough thermodynamic analysis of recuperative organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs) using low-GWP (GWP < 10) environment-friendly refrigerants is presented in this work. A numerical simulation for six low-GWP refrigerants: R-1243zf, R-1234yf, R-1233zd(E), R-1224yd(Z), R-1234ze(E), and R-1336mzz(Z) is conducted using the Python programming language. In this study, the effects of pump inlet pressure (0.8-1.5 MPa) and turbine inlet pressure (1.0-2.0 MPa) on system performance are evaluated using mass, entropy, energy, and exergy balance equations. R-1243zf emerges as the optimal refrigerant choice for recuperative ORC systems, offering the best combination of high power output (28.04 kW), excellent thermal efficiency (9.43%), and superior exergetic efficiency (31.00%), making it most suitable for applications prioritizing maximum power generation.