Multiscale Thermodynamic Study of a Decarbonization Combined Cycle Based on the Dual Role (Fuel and Working Fluid) of Ammonia Yerim An Advisor Prof. Jungsoo Park, Ph.D Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Chosun University As the g...
Multiscale Thermodynamic Study of a Decarbonization Combined Cycle Based on the Dual Role (Fuel and Working Fluid) of Ammonia Yerim An Advisor Prof. Jungsoo Park, Ph.D Department of Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Chosun University As the global demand for carbon-neutral energy systems intensifies, ammonia (NH₃) has emerged as a promising carbon-free energy carrier owing to its zero direct CO₂ emissions during combustion and its suitability as a working fluid in Rankine-cycle-based waste heat recovery systems. This study proposes an integrated combined power generation system in which ammonia simultaneously serves as the fuel for a Brayton-cycle gas turbine and as the working fluid for a bottoming Rankine cycle. A multiscale numerical analysis framework comprising zero-dimensional (0D) thermodynamic modeling, one-dimensional (1D) GT- SUITE simulation, and three-dimensional (3D) CFD analysis using CONVERGE was constructed to evaluate system performance with the Rankine high-side pressure (PR) and heat exchanger tube count (Nt) as primary design variables. The 0D analysis showed that integrating the bottoming Rankine cycle improved total thermal efficiency from 38.08% to a maximum of 43.24% at PR = 55 bar, with the combustor identified as the dominant source of irreversibility accounting for 68–72% of total exergy destruction. The 1D analysis, incorporating actual pressure losses and heat losses, yielded a Brayton net output approximately 52% lower than the 0D prediction, with the turbine back- pressure of 1.45 bar confirmed as the primary cause. Despite this quantitative gap, qualitative performance trends with respect to PR and Nt were consistent between the two models, with the maximum combined cycle thermal efficiency reaching 31.98% at Nt = 100 and PR = 55 bar. CFD analysis of the shell-and-tube WHR evaporator revealed that flow maldistribution was present across all pressure conditions. At PR = 25 bar, the hot gas outlet temperature exceeded the coolant outlet temperature, confirming that a stable temperature driving force was maintained throughout the heat exchanger, with inter-tube coolant outlet temperature deviations of approximately 38.5 K. At PR = 35 bar, the coolant outlet temperature exceeded the hot gas outlet temperature by 9.6 K. While such an outlet temperature relationship is structurally permissible in counter-flow heat exchangers, it indicates that the local gas temperature within the evaporator begins to approach the NH₃ saturation temperature, reducing the effective thermal driving force in the post-evaporation region. The inter-tube deviation (≈38.3 K) remained comparable to the 25 bar condition. At high-pressure conditions (PR ≥ 45 bar), the coolant outlet temperature exceeded the hot gas outlet temperature by 35.6 K at 45 bar and 34.2 K at 55 bar, signifying that an internal pinch point violation occurred within the evaporator — where the local gas temperature fell below the NH₃ saturation temperature (Tsat(45 bar) ≈ 360 K, Tsat(55 bar) ≈ 367 K), causing a loss of effective thermal driving force for evaporation. Inter-tube coolant outlet temperature deviations expanded sharply to approximately 78 K at 45 bar and 74 K at 55 bar, nearly double those observed at lower pressures. This abrupt amplification of inter-tube deviation in the 35→45 bar transition was attributed not to intensified flow maldistribution itself, but to the pressure-dependent reduction in NH₃ latent heat, which renders the coolant phase state increasingly sensitive to non-uniform flow distribution under high-pressure operation. These findings demonstrate that the thermodynamically optimal operating point identified by 0D analysis does not necessarily correspond to stable evaporator performance, and that component-level CFD analysis is indispensable for reliable system design, particularly regarding baffle geometry optimization and expander inlet condition assurance.