scholarly journals Organic Rankine Cycle Power Systems: From the Concept to Current Technology, Applications, and an Outlook to the Future

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piero Colonna ◽  
Emiliano Casati ◽  
Carsten Trapp ◽  
Tiemo Mathijssen ◽  
Jaakko Larjola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Biomass Combustion ◽  
Main Stream ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Many

The cumulative global capacity of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power systems for the conversion of renewable and waste thermal energy is undergoing a rapid growth and is estimated to be approx. 2000 MWe considering only installations that went into operation after 1995. The potential for the conversion of the thermal power coming from liquid-dominated geothermal reservoirs, waste heat from primary engines or industrial processes, biomass combustion, and concentrated solar radiation into electricity is arguably enormous. ORC technology is possibly the most flexible in terms of capacity and temperature level and is currently often the only applicable technology for the conversion of external thermal energy sources. In addition, ORC power systems are suitable for the cogeneration of heating and/or cooling, another advantage in the framework of distributed power generation. Related research and development is therefore very lively. These considerations motivated the effort documented in this article, aimed at providing consistent information about the evolution, state, and future of this power conversion technology. First, basic theoretical elements on the thermodynamic cycle, working fluid, and design aspects are illustrated, together with an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages in comparison to competing technologies. An overview of the long history of the development of ORC power systems follows, in order to place the more recent evolution into perspective. Then, a compendium of the many aspects of the state of the art is illustrated: the solutions currently adopted in commercial plants and the main-stream applications, including information about exemplary installations. A classification and terminology for ORC power plants are proposed. An outlook on the many research and development activities is provided, whereby information on new high-impact applications, such as automotive heat recovery is included. Possible directions of future developments are highlighted, ranging from efforts targeting volume-produced stationary and mobile mini-ORC systems with a power output of few kWe, up to large MWe base-load ORC plants.

scholarly journals Addressing Industrial Waste Heat Supply Variability With Organic Rankine Cycle Systems Incorporating Thermal Energy Storage

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bipul Krishna Saha ◽  
Basab Chakraborty ◽  
Rohan Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Low Grade

Abstract Industrial low-grade waste heat is lost, wasted and deposited in the atmosphere and is not put to any practical use. Different technologies are available to enable waste heat recovery, which can enhance system energy efficiency and reduce total energy consumption. Power plants are energy-intensive plants with low-grade waste heat. In the case of such plants, recovery of low-grade waste heat is gaining considerable interest. However, in such plants, power generation often varies based on market demand. Such variations may adversely influence any recovery system's performance and the economy, including the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). ORC technologies coupled with Cryogenic Energy Storage (CES) may be used for power generation by utilizing the waste heat from such power plants. The heat of compression in a CES may be stored in thermal energy storage systems and utilized in ORC or Regenerative ORC (RORC) for power generation during the system's discharge cycle. This may compensate for the variation of the waste heat from the power plant, and thereby, the ORC system may always work under-designed capacity. This paper presents the thermo-economic analysis of such an ORC system. In the analysis, a steady-state simulation of the ORC system has been developed in a commercial process simulator after validating the results with experimental data for a typical coke-oven plant. Forty-nine different working fluids were evaluated for power generation parameters, first law efficiencies, purchase equipment cost, and fixed investment payback period to identify the best working fluid.

The Application of Rotary Vane Expanders in Organic Rankine Cycle Systems—Thermodynamic Description and Experimental Results

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zbigniew Gnutek ◽  
Piotr Kolasiński
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Thermodynamic Description ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Test Stand ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Cycle Systems ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Domestic Power ◽  
Small Capacity

Small (10–100 kW) and micro (0.5–10 kW) Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power systems are nowadays considered for local and domestic power generation. Especially interesting are micropower applications for heat recovery from dispersed low potential (85–150 °C) waste and renewable heat sources. Designing and implementing an ORC system dedicated to energy recovery from such a source is difficult. A proper working fluid must be selected together with a suitable expander. Volumetric machines can be adopted as a turbine alternative in small-capacity applications under development, like, e.g., domestic cogeneration. Scroll and screw expanders are a common choice. However, scroll and screw expanders are complicated and expensive. Vane expanders are mechanically simple, commercially available and cheap. This paper documents a study providing the preliminary analysis of the possibility of employing vane-expanders in mini-ORC systems. The main objective of this research was therefore a comprehensive analysis of the use of a vane expander for continuous operation with a low-boiling working fluid. A test-stand was designed and set up starting from system models based on thermodynamic analysis. Then, a series of experiments was performed using the test-stand. Results of these experiments are presented here, together with a model of multivane expanders and a thermodynamic-based method to select the working fluid. The analysis presented in this paper indicates that multivane expanders are a cheap and mechanically simple alternative to other expansion devices proposed for small-capacity ORC systems.

scholarly journals Sizing the thermal energy storage (TES) device for organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 345 ◽  
pp. 00018
Author(s):  
Piotr Kolasiński ◽  
Sindu Daniarta
Keyword(s):  
Energy Storage ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Thermal Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Energy Storage Materials ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Storage Materials

Thermal energy storage (TES) became one of the main research topics in modern power engineering. The design of TES devices and systems depend on their application. Different thermal energy storage materials (e.g., solids, liquids, or phase change materials) can be applied in TES devices. The selection of the thermal energy storage material depends mainly on the thermal power and operating temperature range of the TES device. These devices and systems are applied in different energy conversion systems, including solar power plants or combined heat and power (CHP) stations. The application of TES devices is also considered in the case of other industries, such as metallurgy. The possible application of TES devices is particularly promising in the case of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems. These systems are often utilizing floating heat sources such as solar energy, waste heat, etc. TES device can be therefore applied as the evaporator of the ORC system in order to stabilize these fluctuations. In this paper, the possible thermal energy storage materials used in TES devices applied in ORCs are discussed. Moreover, the modelling results are reported related to assessment parameters which can be applied to size the TES device for ORC system utilizing different low-boiling working fluids. The thermal properties of working fluids are taken from CoolProp. The function of heat capacity of different TES materials is also provided and the calculation is computed by employing MATLAB. The result shows that based on the simulation, the gradient of the natural characteristic of TES with working fluids (ζ(Tb)) tends to decrease. The presented result in this paper gives a new point of view which can be used by scientists and engineers during the design and implementation of TES evaporators dedicated to ORC power systems.

High-Efficiency Solar Dynamic Space Power Generation System

1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aristide Massardo
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Generation System ◽  
Dynamic Power ◽  
Power Generation System

Space power technologies have undergone significant advances over the past few years, and great emphasis is being placed on the development of dynamic power systems at this time. A design study has been conducted to evaluate the applicability of a combined cycle concept—closed Brayton cycle and organic Rankine cycle coupling—for solar dynamic space power generation systems. In the concept presented here (solar dynamic combined cycle), the waste heat rejected by the closed Brayton cycle working fluid is utilized to heat the organic working fluid of an organic Rankine cycle system. This allows the solar dynamic combined cycle efficiency to be increased compared to the efficiencies of two subsystems (closed Brayton cycle and organic fluid cycle). Also, for small-size space power systems (up to 50 kW), the efficiency of the solar dynamic combined cycle can be comparable with Stirling engine performance. The closed Brayton cycle and organic Rankine cycle designs are based on a great deal of maturity assessed in much previous work on terrestrial and solar dynamic power systems. This is not yet true for the Stirling cycles. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the performance of the new space power generation system (solar dynamic combined cycle). The significant benefits of the solar dynamic combined cycle concept such as efficiency increase, mass reduction, specific area—collector and radiator—reduction, are presented and discussed for a low earth orbit space station application.

scholarly journals Heat Exchanger Sizing for Organic Rankine Cycle

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3615 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Bull ◽  
James M. Buick ◽  
Jovana Radulovic
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Shell And Tube

Approximately 45% of power generated by conventional power systems is wasted due to power conversion process limitations. Waste heat recovery can be achieved in an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) by converting low temperature waste heat into useful energy, at relatively low-pressure operating conditions. The ORC system considered in this study utilises R-1234yf as the working fluid; the work output and thermal efficiency were evaluated for several operational pressures. Plate and shell and tube heat exchangers were analysed for the three sections: preheater, evaporator and superheater for the hot side; and precooler and condenser for the cold side. Each heat exchanger section was sized using the appropriate correlation equations for single-phase and two-phase fluid models. The overall heat exchanger size was evaluated for optimal operational conditions. It was found that the plate heat exchanger out-performed the shell and tube in regard to the overall heat transfer coefficient and area.

scholarly journals Simulation of the Part Load Behavior of Combined Heat Pump-Organic Rankine Cycle Systems

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3870
Author(s):  
Bernd Eppinger ◽  
Mustafa Muradi ◽  
Daniel Scharrer ◽  
Lars Zigan ◽  
Peter Bazan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Thermal Storage ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Part Load ◽  
Load Behavior

Pumped Thermal Energy Storages (PTES) are suitable for bridging temporary energy shortages, which may occur due to the utilization of renewable energy sources. A combined heat pump (HP)-Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system with suitable thermal storage offers a favorable way to store energy for small to medium sized applications. To address the aspect of flexibility, the part load behavior of a combined HP-ORC system, both having R1233zd(E) (Trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene) as working fluid and being connected through a water filled sensible thermal energy storage, is investigated using a MATLAB code with integration of the fluid database REFPROP. The influence on the isentropic efficiency of the working machines and therefore the power to power efficiency (P2P) of the complete system is shown by variation of the mass flow and a temperature drop in the thermal storage. Further machine-specific parameters such as volumetric efficiency and internal leakage efficiency are also considered. The results show the performance characteristics of the PTES as a function of the load. While the drop in storage temperature has only slight effects on the P2P efficiency, the reduction in mass flow contributes to the biggest decrease in the efficiency. Furthermore, a simulation for dynamic load analysis of a small energy grid in a settlement is conducted to show the course of energy demand, supplied energy by photovoltaic (PV) systems, as well as the PTES performance indicators throughout an entire year. It is shown that the use of PTES is particularly useful in the period between winter and summer time, when demand and supplied photovoltaic energy are approximately equal.

scholarly journals Integrated working fluid-thermodynamic cycle design of organic Rankine cycle power systems for waste heat recovery

2017 ◽  
Vol 203 ◽  
pp. 442-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Cignitti ◽  
Jesper G. Andreasen ◽  
Fredrik Haglind ◽  
John M. Woodley ◽  
Jens Abildskov
Keyword(s):  
Power Systems ◽  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Thermodynamic Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid

Thermoelectric Energy Storage Using Auxiliary Solar Thermal and Geothermal Energy

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Abdel Hakim
Keyword(s):  
Energy Source ◽  
Energy Storage ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Round Trip ◽  
Thermoelectric Energy

Abstract Multi-megawatt thermoelectric energy storage (TEES) based on thermodynamic cycles is a promising alternative to pumped-storage hydroelectricity (PSH) and compressed air energy storage (CAES) systems. The size and cost of energy storage are the main advantages of this technology as it generally uses inexpensive energy storage materials and does not require high-pressure tanks or rare geographic terrain, but the round trip electric efficiency of this technology remains low compared to its competitors. In this context, the objective of this article is to study and simulate a TEES system. A TEES system converts electrical energy to thermal energy by means of an electric heater uses joule heating effect, the system storage this thermal energy in solar salt. Stored thermal energy is converted into electrical energy by a thermal engine uses the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). An auxiliary energy source is integrated with the organic Rankine cycle to improve the round trip electric efficiency of the system. Auxiliary energy source can be solar thermal and geothermal at an average temperature between 100 and 140 °C, which is used to evaporate the working fluid to saturation. The steam is then superheated by stored thermal energy. The superheated steam expands in a turbine producing a good amount of energy compared to the saturated steam expansion. Methanol (CH3OH) has been used as a working fluid because its boiling point is less than 100 °C at the atmospheric pressure.

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