TY - JOUR
T1 - Solar-assisted clean steam generator, a cleaner production approach for sustainable healthcare facilities
AU - Jamshidmofid, Mohammad
AU - Olfati, Mohammad
AU - Sadrizadeh, Sasan
AU - Sadi, Meisam
AU - Porté-Agel, Fernando
AU - Arabkoohsar, Ahmad
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Healthcare sector buildings, particularly hospitals, significantly contribute to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals require a substantial amount of steam, including the essential hygienic or “clean steam,” that is currently supplied mostly by heaters and fossil fuel-based boilers. This study proposes a solar-driven clean steam generator, employing LS-2 parabolic trough collectors with Therminol VP-1 as the working fluid, to supply clean steam in hospitals. The system was designed and techno-economically assessed for two case study hospitals in Denmark and Sweden using MATLAB. The proposed system's proficiency was compared against existing solutions, revealing that it can contribute up to 19% and 22% of the energy requirements for the Danish and Swedish hospitals, respectively, in certain months. While the design may not enhance energy and exergy efficiencies due to inherent losses, it significantly reduces environmental impact, preventing 67.8 tons and 75.5 tons of equivalent CO2 emissions per year for the Danish and Swedish hospitals, respectively. This innovation aims to contribute to the healthcare sector's sustainability.
AB - Healthcare sector buildings, particularly hospitals, significantly contribute to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Hospitals require a substantial amount of steam, including the essential hygienic or “clean steam,” that is currently supplied mostly by heaters and fossil fuel-based boilers. This study proposes a solar-driven clean steam generator, employing LS-2 parabolic trough collectors with Therminol VP-1 as the working fluid, to supply clean steam in hospitals. The system was designed and techno-economically assessed for two case study hospitals in Denmark and Sweden using MATLAB. The proposed system's proficiency was compared against existing solutions, revealing that it can contribute up to 19% and 22% of the energy requirements for the Danish and Swedish hospitals, respectively, in certain months. While the design may not enhance energy and exergy efficiencies due to inherent losses, it significantly reduces environmental impact, preventing 67.8 tons and 75.5 tons of equivalent CO2 emissions per year for the Danish and Swedish hospitals, respectively. This innovation aims to contribute to the healthcare sector's sustainability.
KW - Clean steam generator
KW - Hospitals
KW - Parabolic trough solar system
KW - Solar collectors
KW - Sustainability
KW - Techno-economic analysis
U2 - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142132
DO - 10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.142132
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85190409182
SN - 0959-6526
VL - 452
JO - Journal of cleaner production
JF - Journal of cleaner production
M1 - 142132
ER -