Techno-economic assessment of retrofitted Parabolic Trough Collector for Kalina Power Cycle

[Display omitted] •The comparative analysis of two types of parabolic trough collector integrated with the Kalina cycle is studied.•MXene/water mixture with a weight concentration of 0.15% achieved the highest heat generation and thermal efficiency in both conventional and coated PTC solar fields.•Kalina cycle applied to the coated PTC solar field achieved a higher maximum net work output compared to the conventional PTC solar field.•The payback period for the coated PTC system was shorter due to the higher net work output offsetting the initial investment cost. In this study, the integration of a Kalina cycle with a parabolic trough collector (PTC) was proposed. The PTC underwent retrofitting with a dual-layer coating on the receiver tube, consisting of an inner layer of MXene-doped black paint and an outer layer of silicon oxide anti-reflective coating. This coating configuration aimed to reduce re-radiation losses and enhance the solar absorptivity of the absorber surface. Additionally, MXene (Ti3C2) nanoparticle with weight concentration (0.05 ∼ 0.3 wt.%) is suspended in de-ionized water with varying flow rate (1 ∼ 5 lpm) is used as heat transfer fluid owing to its superior thermophysical and heat transfer capabilities. Experimental analysis and mathematical modeling are conducted to assess thermal and economic performance. The outcomes reveals optimal weight concentration and flow rate to be 0.15 wt.% and 3 lpm, respectively. Comparing conventional and coated PTCs, the maximum thermal efficiency was reported as 48.17% and 58.5%, respectively. The corresponding maximum useful heat generation values were approximately 422.72 kW and 513.312 kW. The thermal efficiency of the Kalina cycle calculated was 11.10%. The conventional PTC-driven Kalina cycle had a Levelized cost of electricity of $0.164/kWh and a payback period of 7 years. Meanwhile, the coated PTC-driven Kalina cycle had a Levelized cost of electricity of $0.15/kWh and a payback period of 6.42 years. The study's findings highlight the superior performance and economic feasibility of the coated PTC-driven Kalina cycle over the conventional PTC setup.