First law-based thermodynamic analysis on Kalina cycle

Based on the first law of thermodynamics, and adopting the Peng-Robinson equation (P-R equation) as the basic equation for the properties of ammonia-water mixtures, a thermodynamic analysis on a single-stage distillation Kalina cycle is presented. A program to calculate the thermodynamic properties of ammoniawater mixtures, and that for calculating the performance of Kalina cycles, were developed, with which the heatwork conversion particulars of Kalina cycles were theoretically calculated. The influences on the cycle performance of key parameters, such as the pressure and temperature at the inlet of the turbine, the back pressure of the turbine, the concentration of the working solution, the concentration of the basic solution and the cycle multiplication ratio, were analyzed. © 2008 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH.