Understanding and improving energy conversion systems with the aid of exergy-based methods George Tsatsaronis and Tatiana Morosuk* Institute for Energy Engineering, Technische Universita ¨t Berlin, Marchstr, Berlin, Germany E-mail: tsatsaronis@iet.tu-berlin.de E-mail: morozyuk@iet.tu-berlin.de *Corresponding author Abstract: Exergy-based methods are powerful tools for developing, evaluating and improving an energy conversion system. Conventional exergy-based analyses have limitations, which are significantly reduced by the so-called advanced analyses. The latter evaluate: (a) the interactions among components of the overall system, and (b) the real potential for improving a system component. The main objective of advanced exergy- based analyses is to provide additional information that is useful improving the design and operation of energy conversion systems. This paper deals with integrated conventional and advanced exergetic, exergoeconomic and exergoenvironmental analyses. The advantages of these analyses are demonstrated using an academic example, an open-cycle gas turbine power system. Keywords: exergy analysis; advanced exergetic analysis; exergoeconomics; advanced exergoeconomic analysis; exergoenvironmental analysis; advanced exergoenvironmental analysis; improvement of energy conversion systems. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Tsatsaronis, G. and Morosuk, T. (2012) ‘Understanding and improving energy conversion systems with the aid of exergy-based methods’, Int. J. Exergy, Vol. 11, No. 4, pp.518–542. Biographical note: George Tsatsaronis is the Bewag Professor of Energy Conversion and Protection of the Environment at Technische Universita¨t Berlin. He received a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (NTU Athens, Greece), and his MBA, PhD in Combustion, and Dr Habilitatus Degree in Thermoeconomics, all from the RWTH Aachen, Germany. His areas of interest include the design, development, analysis and optimisation of energy conversion systems. He contributed significantly to the fundamentals of exergoeconomics, a term that he coined in 1984. He co-authored the book Thermal Design and Optimisation (Wiley, 1996), has published more than 250 papers, received several international awards and recognitions, and has served as Chairman or Co-chairman of 18 international conferences. Professor Tatiana Morosuk is employed at the Technische Universita¨t Berlin, Germany. She studied refrigeration engineering at the Odessa State Academy of Refrigeration, Ukraine and received her Diploma in 1990. She received her PhD in 1994 and Professorship in 2001, all in Int. J. Exergy, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2012 518 Copyright # 2012 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.