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Energy Use > 2026 Vol. 2 > No. 1 > 100045
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Sustainable Working Fluid Optimization for EORC-CCHP Systems: Low-GWP Mixtures, Thermodynamic Performance, and Exergy Analysis

  • 1.

    National Key Laboratory of Multi-perch Vehicle Propulsion Systems, School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China

  • 2.

    Hebei Key Laboratory of Low Carbon and High Efficiency Power Generation Technology, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, China

  • 3.

    Key Laboratory of Low-grade Energy Utilization Technologies & Systems, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Chongqing 400044, China

  • 4.

    Tianjin Key Laboratory of Refrigeration Technology, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134, China

  • 5.

    School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China

  • 6.

    Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd. Xi'an 710032, China

  • 7.

    School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China

  • 8.

    School of Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia

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    Fund Project: This work was primarily supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 52206217 and U22B20112). T.Y. acknowledges the generous support from the National Key Laboratory of Multi–Perch Vehicle Driving Systems (No. QDXT-NY-202407-12). Academic Papers of the 28th Annual Meeting of the China Association for Science and Technology.
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  • Corresponding authors: yangtao@bit.edu.cn (T. Y.);  jshen@bit.edu.cn (J. S.)
  • Received Date:  March 16, 2026
    Accepted Date:  March 24, 2026
    Published Online:  March 26, 2026
Energy Use  2(1),  https://doi.org/10.59717/ipj.energy-use.2025.100045  |  Cite this article
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    1. Proposed an ejector-integrated organic Rankine cycle (EORC-CCHP) system for efficient low-grade thermal energy use.

      Developed a framework combining refrigerant selection and thermodynamic optimization with a focus on sustainability.

      Identified R290/R1234yf as the optimal fluid, achieving a COPsys of 1.435.

      Parametric analysis revealed trade-offs in power and cooling outputs.

      Exergy analysis highlighted boiler and ejector as key areas for performance improvement.

    • ABSTRACT
  • Sustainable utilization of low-grade thermal energy is essential for advancing low-carbon distributed energy systems. This study proposes an ejector-integrated organic Rankine cycle combined cooling, heating and power (EORC-CCHP) system, in which ejector-based internal energy cascading is employed to reduce throttling losses and enhance system performance under low-temperature heat sources. A systematic framework integrating environmentally sustainable refrigerant selection and thermodynamic optimization is developed. Candidate working fluids, including R290, R600a, R1234yf, R1233zd(E), and their mixtures, are first screened from an environment perspective using total equivalent warming impact (TEWI) and life-cycle assessment (LCA). A comprehensive thermodynamic model is then established, and a multi-criteria decision-making approach based on TOPSIS is applied to assess system performance across multiple indicators. The results identify the R290/R1234yf mixture as the optimal working fluid, achieving a maximum closeness coefficient of 0.745 at an R290 mass fraction of 0.4, corresponding to a system coefficient of performance (COPsys) of 1.435. Parametric analysis reveals that system performance is governed by coupled trade-offs among operating parameters: increasing boiler temperature enhances power output but introduces additional thermodynamic irreversibility, while variations in mass flow rate and ejector geometry redistribute energy utilization between power and cooling outputs. Exergy analysis shows that irreversibility is dominated by the boiler and ejector, which together account for the majority of exergy destruction, identifying them as key targets for performance improvement. This work demonstrates that the synergistic design of low-GWP refrigerant mixtures and ejector-enhanced thermodynamic cycles provides an effective pathway for improving the efficiency and sustainability of CCHP systems utilizing low-grade thermal energy.
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  • Cite this article:

    Yang T., Yao J., Li X., et al. (2026). Sustainable Working Fluid Optimization for EORC-CCHP Systems: Low-GWP Mixtures, Thermodynamic Performance, and Exergy Analysis. Energy Use 2:100045. https://doi.org/10.59717/ipj.energy-use.2025.100045
    Yang T., Yao J., Li X., et al. (2026). Sustainable Working Fluid Optimization for EORC-CCHP Systems: Low-GWP Mixtures, Thermodynamic Performance, and Exergy Analysis. Energy Use 2:100045. https://doi.org/10.59717/ipj.energy-use.2025.100045

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