PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS OF ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLES USING DIFFERENT WORKING FLUIDS

Abstract

Low-grade heat from renewable or waste energy sources can be effectively recovered to generate power by an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in which the working fluid has an important impact on its performance. The thermodynamic processes of ORCs using different types of organic fluids were analyzed in this paper. The relationships between the ORC's performance parameters (including evaporation pressure, condensing pressure, outlet temperature of hot fluid, net power, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, total cycle irreversible loss, and total heat-recovery efficiency) and the critical temperatures of organic fluids were established based on the property of the hot fluid through the evaporator in a specific working condition, and then were verified at varied evaporation temperatures and inlet temperatures of the hot fluid. Here we find that the performance parameters vary monotonically with the critical temperatures of organic fluids. The values of the performance parameters of the ORC using wet fluids are distributed more dispersedly with the critical temperatures, compared with those of using dry/isentropic fluids. The inlet temperature of the hot fluid affects the relative distribution of the exergy efficiency, whereas the evaporation temperature only has an impact on the performance parameters using wet fluid.

Keywords

Dates

  • Submission Date2012-03-18
  • Revision Date2013-01-16
  • Acceptance Date2013-01-28
  • Online Date2013-04-13

DOI Reference

10.2298/TSCI120318014Z

References

  1. Larjola, J., Electricity from industrial waste heat using high-speed organic Rankine cycle (ORC), International Journal of Production Economics, 41 (1995),1-3, pp. 227-235.
  2. Hung, T. C., Shai, T. Y., Wang, S. K., A review of organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) for the recovery of low-grade waste heat, Energy, 22 (1997), 7, pp. 661-667.
  3. Wei, L., Zhang, Y., Mu, Y., et al., Efficiency improving strategies of low-temperature heat conversion systems using organic Rankine cycles: an overview, Energy Sources Part a-Recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects, 33 (2011), 9, pp. 869-878.
  4. Schuster, A., Karellas, S., Aumann, R., Efficiency optimization potential in supercritical organic Rankine cycles, Energy, 35 (2010), 2, pp. 1033-1039.
  5. Guo, T., Wang, H. X., Zhang, S. J., Comparative analysis of CO2-based transcritical Rankine cycle and HFC245fa-based subcritical organic Rankine cycle using low-temperature geothermal source, Science China-Technological Sciences, 53 (2010), 6, pp. 1638-1646.
  6. Guo, T., Wang, H. X., Zhang, S. J., Comparative analysis of natural and conventional working fluids for use in transcritical Rankine cycle using low-temperature geothermal source, International Journal of Energy Research, 35 (2011), 6, pp. 530-544.
  7. Liu, B. T., Chien, K. H., Wang, C. C., Effect of working fluids on organic Rankine cycle for waste heat recovery, Energy, 29 (2004), 8, pp. 1207-1217.
  8. Wei, D. H., Lu, X. S., Lu, Z., et al., Performance analysis and optimization of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) for waste heat recovery, Energy Conversion and Management, 48 (2007), 4, pp. 1113-1119.
  9. Etemoglu, A. B., Thermodynamic evaluation of geothermal power generation systems in Turkey, Energy Sources Part a-Recovery Utilization and Environmental Effects, 30 (2008), 10, pp. 905-916.
  10. Tchanche, B. F., Papadakis, G.., Lambrinos, G., et al., Fluid selection for a low-temperature solar organic Rankine cycle, Applied Thermal Engineering, 29 (2009), 11-12, pp. 2468-2476.
  11. Mago, P. J., Chamra, L. M., Srinivasan, K., et al., An examination of regenerative organic Rankine cycles using dry fluids, Applied Thermal Engineering, 28 (2008), 8-9, pp. 998-1007.
  12. Heberle, F., Bruggemann, D., Exergy based fluid selection for a geothermal organic Rankine cycle for combined heat and power generation, Applied Thermal Engineering, 30 (2010), 11-12, pp. 1326-1332.
  13. Al-Sulaiman, F. A., Dincer, I., Hamdullahpur, F., Energy analysis of a trigeneration plant based on solid oxide fuel cell and organic Rankine cycle, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 35 (2010), 10, pp. 5104-5113.
  14. Borsukiewcz-Gozdur, A., Nowak, W., Feasibility study and energy efficiency estimation of geothermal power station based on medium enthalpy water, Thermal Science, 11 (2007), 3, pp. 135-142.
  15. Moro, R., Pinamonti, P., Reini, M., ORC technology for waste-wood to energy conversion in the furniture manufacturing industry, Thermal Science, 12 (2008), 4, pp. 61-73.
  16. DiPippo, R., Second law assessment of binary plants generating power from low-temperature geothermal fluids, Geothermics, 33 (2004), 5, pp. 565-586.
  17. Calm, J. M., Hourahan, G. C., Refrigerant data update, Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning Engineering, 79 (2007), 1, pp. 50-64.
Volume 19, Issue 1, Pages179 -191