Renewable Energy

Lecture 4
Exergy

MECH 4390, Instructor: Dr. Evgeny Shafirovich

EXERGY: WORK POTENTIAL OF ENERGY

The useful work potential of a given amount of energy at some specified state
is called exergy.

• A system is in the dead state when it is in

thermodynamic equilibrium with the environment.
‒ At the dead state, the exergy of a system is zero.
‒ Example: The atmosphere contains a
tremendous amount of energy, but no work
potential.

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 Surroundings:
• Immediate surroundings
• Environment

• A system delivers the maximum possible work as it undergoes a reversible process

from the specified initial state to the state of its environment, i.e. the dead state.
• This represents the useful work potential (exergy) of the system at the specified state.
• Exergy represents the upper limit on the amount of work a device can deliver without
violating any thermodynamic laws.

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Unavailable energy is the portion of energy that cannot be converted to work
by even a reversible heat engine.

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Exergy (Work Potential) Associated with Kinetic and Potential Energy

Exergy of kinetic energy:

Exergy of potential energy:

The exergies of kinetic and potential energies are equal to themselves,

and they are entirely available for work.
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REVERSIBLE WORK AND IRREVERSIBILITY

Surroundings work Wsurr: The work done by or against the surroundings during a process.

As a closed system expands, some work needs to be

done to push the atmospheric air out of the way.

Useful work Wu: The difference between the actual work and the surroundings work.

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For cyclic devices and systems whose
boundaries remain fixed during a process,
the total actual and useful works are identical
(Wu = W).

Reversible work Wrev: The maximum amount of useful

work that can be produced (or the minimum work that
needs to be supplied) as a system undergoes a process
between the specified initial and final states.

Is it equal to exergy?

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The difference between reversible work and actual useful work is the irreversibility.

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SECOND-LAW EFFICIENCY, ηII

Second-law efficiency is the ratio of the actual

thermal efficiency to the maximum possible
(reversible) thermal efficiency under the same
conditions:

Two heat engines that have the same

thermal efficiency, but different
maximum thermal efficiencies. 9
Second-law efficiency is a measure of the performance of a
device relative to its performance under reversible conditions.

Second-law efficiency of all

reversible devices is 100%.

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General definition of the second-law efficiency:

The second-law efficiency of naturally occurring processes

is zero if none of the work potential is recovered.

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EXERGY CHANGE OF A SYSTEM
Exergy of a Fixed Mass: Nonflow (or Closed System) Exergy

The exergy of a specified mass at a specified state is the

useful work that can be produced as the mass undergoes a
reversible process to the state of the environment.

Closed system exergy per unit mass:

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Exergy change of a closed system:

The exergy of a cold medium is also a positive quantity

since work can be produced by transferring heat to it.
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Exergy of a Flow Stream: Flow (or Stream) Exergy

Exergy associated with flow energy:

Exergy of a flow stream:

Exergy change of flow:

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The energy and exergy contents of
(a) a fixed mass
(b) a fluid stream

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EXERGY TRANSFER BY HEAT, WORK, AND MASS

Exergy Transfer by Heat, Q

The Carnot efficiency ηc=1−T0 /T represents the fraction of the energy transferred
from a heat source at T that can be converted to work in an environment at T0.

Exergy transfer by heat:

When T is not constant:

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Heat transfer process through
a finite temperature difference

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Exergy Transfer by Work, W

There is no useful work transfer associated with

boundary work when the pressure of the system
is maintained constant at atmospheric pressure.

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Exergy Transfer by Mass, m

Mass contains energy, entropy, and exergy, and thus mass flow into or out of a system
is accompanied by energy, entropy, and exergy transfer.

Exergy transfer by mass:

When the fluid properties are variable:

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THE DECREASE OF EXERGY PRINCIPLE AND
EXERGY DESTRUCTION

Applying energy balance and entropy balance

leads to the conclusion:

The exergy of an isolated system during a

process always decreases or, in the limiting
case of a reversible process, remains constant.

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Exergy Destruction

Decrease of exergy principle:

• The exergy of an isolated system during a process always decreases or,
in the limiting case of a reversible process, remains constant.
• Exergy is destroyed during an actual process.

• Exergy destroyed is a positive quantity for

any actual process and becomes zero for
a reversible process.
• Exergy destroyed represents the lost work
potential and is also called the
irreversibility or lost work.

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EXERGY BALANCE

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EXERGY BALANCE: CLOSED SYSTEMS

Exergy balance for a closed system when heat

transfer is to the system and the work is from
the system:

The heat transfer to a system and work done by the system

are taken to be positive quantities.

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Qk is the heat transfer through the boundary at temperature Tk at location k.

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Exergy destroyed outside system
boundaries can be accounted for
by writing an exergy balance on
the extended system that includes
the system and its immediate
surroundings.

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EXERGY BALANCE: CONTROL VOLUMES

The rate of exergy change within the control volume during a process is equal to the rate
of net exergy transfer through the control volume boundary by heat, work, and mass flow
minus the rate of exergy destruction within the boundaries of the control volume.
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Exergy Balance for Steady-Flow Systems

• Most control volumes encountered in practice (turbines, compressors, nozzles, diffusers,

heat exchangers, pipes, and ducts) operate steadily, and thus they experience no
changes in their mass, energy, entropy, and exergy contents as well as their volumes.

• Therefore, dVCV/dt = 0 and dXCV/dt = 0 for such systems.

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The exergy transfer to a steady-flow system is equal to the exergy transfer from it
plus the exergy destruction within the system.

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Reversible Work, Wrev

• The exergy balance relations can be used to determine the reversible work Wrev
by setting the exergy destroyed equal to zero.
• The work W in that case becomes the reversible work.

• Reversible work represents the maximum work output for work-producing devices (e.g.,
turbines) and the minimum work input for work-consuming devices (e.g., compressors).

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Second-Law Efficiency of Steady-Flow Devices, ηII
can be determined from its general definition:

ηII = (Exergy recovered)/(Exergy supplied)

When the changes in KE and PE are negligible and the devices are adiabatic:

Turbine:

Compressor:

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Heat exchanger:

A heat exchanger with two

unmixed fluid streams
Mixing chamber:

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Second-Law Efficiency of Resistance Heaters

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