Thermal stability of hexamethyldisiloxane (MM) as a working fluid for organic Rankine cycle

The high temperature organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has recently attracted much interest for its excellent performance in renewable energy utilization and industrial waste heat recovery. The thermal stability of working fluids is the important property for fluid selection studies because of the possible decomposition at high temperatures. Siloxanes are good selections for high temperature ORCs in previous studies. However, study on the thermal stability of siloxanes for high temperature ORCs is scant. This paper studied the thermal stability of siloxanes, using hexamethyldisiloxane (MM) as a representative fluid. An experimental method with two test systems was designed to identify the compositions of decomposition products. Linear siloxanes, such as octamethyltrisiloxane (MDM), were found to be the main decomposition products of MM. The influences of pressure, temperature, and time on the decomposition were then determined experimentally. The decomposition mechanism of MM and the influences of the decomposition on ORCs were also analyzed based on the experimental results.     

R245fa作为有机朗肯循环工质的材料相容性研究

对于可再生能源和工业余热资源,有机朗肯循环技术(organic Rankine cycle,ORC)被认为是一种高效的能源回收利用技术。其中R245fa因为其自身良好的环保性以及热力性能,被认为是一种具有良好应用前景的ORC工质。对于ORC系统来说,工质的材料相容性是保证系统稳定运行的基础。针对ORC系统实际工况,确定部件、温度、材料等因素的对应关系,提出一套适用于ORC工质材料相容性研究的实验方法,并以R245fa为例开展了实验研究。实验结果表明,在高温条件下,304不锈钢与R245fa的相容性要优于铜材料;同时在橡胶密封材料的选择上,不建议使用氟橡胶,且三元乙丙橡胶的相容性要优于聚四氟乙烯。     

Material Compatibility of Hexamethyldisiloxane as Organic Rankine Cycle Working Fluids at High Temperatures

The organic Rankine cycle(ORC)is a promising technology for industrial waste heat recovery and renewable energy utilization.High temperature ORCs have attracted particular interest because of their high thermal efficiencies and outputs.The material compatibility of working fluid is a significant limitation for the working fluid selection and system design for high temperature ORCs.This work presents a method for studying the material compatibility of ORC working fluids based on the calculated conditions of the ORCs and matching of components,temperatures,and materials.Hexamethyldisiloxane(MM)was chosen as the test fluid.The experimental results show that 304 stainless steel has better compatibility with MM than copper as the material of evaporators.Fluoric rubber is not a suitable sealing material for high temperature ORCs with MM as the working fluids because of the bad compatibility.Mineral oil has better compatibility with MM than polyol ester(POE)lubricant as the lubricant for the fluid pump.     

Process integration of organic Rankine cycle

An organic Rankine cycle (ORC) uses an organic fluid as a working medium within a Rankine cycle power plant. ORC offers advantages over conventional Rankine cycle with water as the working medium, as ORC generates shaft-work from low to medium temperature heat sources with higher thermodynamic efficiency. The dry and the isentropic fluids are most preferred working fluid for the ORC. The basic ORC can be modified by incorporating both regeneration and turbine bleeding to improve its thermal efficiency. In this paper, 16 different organic fluids have been analyzed as a working medium for the basic as well as modified ORCs. A methodology is also proposed for appropriate integration and optimization of an ORC as a cogeneration process with the background process to generate shaft-work. It has been illustrated that the choice of cycle configuration for appropriate integration with the background process depends on the heat rejection profile of the background process (i.e., the shape of the below pinch portion of the process grand composite curve). The benefits of integrating ORC with the background process and the applicability of the proposed methodology have been demonstrated through illustrative examples.     

不同工质对太阳能有机朗肯循环系统性能的影响

循环工质的特性是影响有机朗肯循环系统性能的重要因素之一,在不同的蒸发温度条件下,选取R600、R600a、R245fa、R236fa、R236ea、R601、R601a、RC318及R227ea共9种有机工质,基于热力学第一定律和第二定律对其热力循环特性进行了计算分析,并对各有机工质的蒸发压力、热效率、功比和不可逆损失等进行了比较.结果表明：R245fa作为太阳能低温热发电朗肯循环系统的循环工质具有较高的热效率和效率,并且产生的系统总不可逆损失较小,是一种较理想的有机工质;其次,R236fa和R236ea作为系统循环工质也具有较为良好的性能.     

A procedure to select working fluids for Solar Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs)

The selection of working fluid and working conditions of the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has a great effect on the system operation, and its energy efficiency and impact on the environment. The main purpose of this study is to develop a procedure to compare capabilities of working fluids when they are employed in solar Rankine cycles with similar working conditions. The Refprop 8.0 database with 117 organic fluids has been considered as the reference in this study. A procedure to compare ORC working fluids based on their molecular components, temperature–entropy diagram and fluid effects on the thermal efficiency, net power generated, vapor expansion ratio, and exergy efficiency of the Rankine cycle has been proposed. Fluids with the best cycle performance have been recognized in two different temperature levels within two different categories of fluids: refrigerants and non-refrigerants. Based on categories of solar collectors, 11 fluids have been suggested to be employed in solar ORCs that use low or medium temperature solar collectors. Collector efficiency improvement and use of the regenerative ORC instead of the basic cycle reduce irreversibility of a solar ORC. Calculation results show that for selected fluids, the theoretical limits for irreversibility reduction and exergy efficiency enhancement through collector efficiency improvement are 35% and 5% respectively, when the collector efficiency increases from 70% to 100%. The effect of regeneration on the exergy efficiency of the cycle is fluid dependent while the effect of collector efficiency improvement on the exergy efficiency of the cycle is nearly independent of fluid type. At the two temperature levels studied, higher molecular complexity results in more effective regenerative cycles except for Cyclohydrocarbons.     

Selection and Evaluation of Dry and Isentropic Organic Working Fluids Used in Organic Rankine Cycle Based on the Turning Point on Their Saturated Vapor Curves

The organic Rankine cycle(ORC) is a popular technique used in the utilization of low-grade thermal energy. Among wet, dry, and isentropic organic working fluids, the latter two types are more appropriate for ORC systems. In this paper, the definition of turning point on saturated vapor curve of dry fluid and isentropic fluid was given according to the shape of the saturated curve of working fluids in a T-s diagram. On this basis, the model of near-critical region triangle was established. Using this model, the thermodynamic performance of 57 kinds of dry and isentropic organic working fluids in ORC was evaluated. The performance includes the relation between turning point temperature and cycle thermal efficiency, the relation between near-critical region triangle area and cycle thermal efficiency, the relation between near-critical region triangle area and exergy at turning point temperature, the relation between near-critical region triangle area and reciprocal value of slope of saturated vapor curve. Moreover, working fluid selection was also conducted in terms of heat source type. It was found through theoretical analysis results that the popular R123 is an acceptable choice especially for the utilization of closed type heat source. Considering it will be phased out in near future, then cis-butene, butane, trans-butene, and isobutene are worth studying as its successor. Dodecane is worthy of attention and further research and it can be a good choice for utilization of open type heat source.     

基于动态透平效率的有机朗肯循环性能分析及优化

常规有机朗肯循环(ORC)中透平效率多假设为定值,而实际上透平效率因工质种类和运行参数的不同而有较大差异。因此,采用向心透平效率计算模型,将动态透平效率与ORC系统耦合,分析透平效率随蒸发温度与冷凝温度的变化规律,比较固定透平效率与动态透平效率ORC系统热效率的差异。综合考虑热力性与经济性,采用多目标优化算法,对固定透平效率与动态透平效率ORC系统进行工质筛选及参数优化,并对优化结果进行分析比较。结果表明:透平效率随蒸发温度的下降或者冷凝温度升高而增大;不同工质及不同蒸发冷凝温度条件下,透平效率差异较大,最大达0.148。固定透平效率ORC系统与动态透平效率ORC系统的热效率随蒸发温度的变化规律有较大差异,尤其在高蒸发温度区间更为明显。对于固定透平效率ORC系统,R245ca和R236ea为最佳工质;而对于动态透平效率ORC系统,R114为最佳工质。在引入动态透平效率前后,各工质的最佳蒸发温度与最佳冷凝温度也有较大变化。     

Thermodynamic analysis of double‐stage biomass fired Organic Rankine Cycle for micro‐cogeneration

A biomass fired double‐stage Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) for micro‐cogeneration is studied. Focus is laid on optimizing thermal efficiency in summer mode by appropriate working fluid and pressure level selection. Simulation and thermodynamic analysis show that in double‐stage ORC, the working fluid in the low‐temperature circuit (LTC) effects total efficiency more than the working fluid in the high‐temperature circuit (HTC). Within the chosen boundary conditions, isopentane gives best thermal efficiency, whereas R227ea is the least efficient in the LTC. Among the working fluids for the HTC, maximum total efficiency is similar for several working fluids. Simulations demonstrate that a prediction of thermal efficiencies with respect to physico‐chemical characteristics of different working fluids is only feasible within certain chemical classes. In the HTC, low critical temperature, low molar mass, and high critical pressure increase the efficiency, whereas in the LTC, condensation pressure is most crucial for high efficiency. Constructional analysis indicate that in the majority of cases, an increase in thermal efficiency is connected with high‐volume flow rates at the outlet of the turbine, which leads to voluminous expansion units and high investment costs, respectively. Appropriate working fluid combinations within a double‐stage ORC reach total efficiencies of up to 35% at flue gas temperatures from 950 to 150 °C. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance analysis of cogeneration systems based on micro gas turbine (MGT), organic Rankine cycle and ejector refrigeration cycle

In this paper, the operation performance of three novel kinds of cogeneration systems under design and off-design condition was investigated. The systems are MGT (micro gas turbine) + ORC (organic Rankine cycle) for electricity demand, MGT+ ERC (ejector refrigeration cycle) for electricity and cooling demand, and MGT+ ORC+ ERC for electricity and cooling demand. The effect of 5 different working fluids on cogeneration systems was studied. The results show that under the design condition, when using R600 in the bottoming cycle, the MGT+ ORC system has the lowest total output of 117.1 kW with a thermal efficiency of 0.334, and the MGT+ ERC system has the largest total output of 142.6 kW with a thermal efficiency of 0.408. For the MGT+ ORC+ ERC system, the total output is between the other two systems, which is 129.3 kW with a thermal efficiency of 0.370. For the effect of different working fluids, R123 is the most suitable working fluid for MGT+ ORC with the maximum electricity output power and R600 is the most suitable working fluid for MGT+ ERC with the maximum cooling capacity, while both R600 and R123 can make MGT+ ORC+ ERC achieve a good comprehensive performance of refrigeration and electricity. The thermal efficiency of three cogeneration systems can be effectively improved under off-design condition because the bottoming cycle can compensate for the power decrease of MGT. The results obtained in this paper can provide a reference for the design and operation of the cogeneration system for distributed energy systems (DES).     

A study of organic working fluids on system efficiency of an ORC using low-grade energy sources

Rankine cycles using organic fluids (as categorized into three groups: wet, dry, and isentropic fluids) as working fluids in converting low-grade energy are investigated in this study. The main purpose is to identify suitable working fluids which may yield high system efficiencies in an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system. Efficiencies of ORC systems are calculated based on an assumption that the inlet condition of the working fluid entering turbine is in saturated vapor phase. Parameters under investigation are turbine inlet temperature, turbine inlet pressure, condenser exit temperature, turbine exit quality, overall irrversibility, and system efficiency. The low-grade energy source can be obtained from a solar pond or/and an ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) system. Results indicate that wet fluids with very steep saturated vapor curves in T-s diagram have a better overall performance in energy conversion efficiencies than that of dry fluids. It can also be shown that all the working fluids have a similar behavior of the efficiency-condenser exit temperature relationship. Furthermore, an appropriate combination of solar energy and an ORC system with a higher turbine inlet temperature and a lower condenser temperature (as operated deeply under sea level) would provide an economically feasible and environment-friendly renewable energy conversion system.     

Analysis of a 50 kW organic Rankine cycle system

This study analyzes the system performance of a 50 kW ORC system subject to influence of various working fluids. A dimensionless “figure of merit” combining the Jakob number, condensing temperature, and evaporation temperature is proposed for quantitatively screening working fluid as far as thermal efficiency is concerned. The thermal efficiency normally decreases with the rise of figure of merit, and the predictive ability of the proposed figure of merit is not only applicable to the present eighteen working fluids but is also in line with some existing literatures. Analysis of the typical ORC heat exchangers indicates that the dominant thermal resistance in the shell-and-tube condenser is on the shell side. Similarly, the dominant resistance is also on the refrigerant side for the plate evaporator. However, there is a huge difference of thermal resistance amid working fluid and water side in the preheating zone. Conversely, only a minor difference exists in the evaporation region. The extremely uneven resistance distribution in the plate heat exchanger can be resolved via an additional preheater having significant augmentation in the working fluid.     

Energy and exergy‐based working fluid selection for organic Rankine cycle recovering waste heat from high temperature solid oxide fuel cell and gas turbine hybrid systems

This paper performed a comparative analysis of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) using different working fluids, in order to recover waste heat from a solid oxide fuel cell‐gas turbine hybrid power cycle. Depending on operating parameters, criteria for the choice of the working fluid were identified. Results reveal that due to a significant temperature glide of the exhaust gas, the actual ORC cycle thermal efficiency strongly depends on the turbine inlet temperature, exhaust gas temperature, and fluid's critical point temperature. When exhaust gas temperature varies in the range of 500 K to 600 K, R123 is preferred among the nine dry typical organic fluids because of the highest and most stabilized mean thermal efficiency under wide operating conditions and its reasonable condensing pressure and turbine outlet specific volume, which in turn results in a feasible ORC cycle for practical concerns. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

低温余热有机朗肯循环发电系统工质选择

对有机朗肯循环系统工质的优化选择已逐渐从单一优化目标向多目标发展,但所选的优化目标及优化方法普遍存在主观性较强的问题.针对上述问题,从环保性、安全性等方面对工质进行初选,得到了R123、R245fa、R245ca和R601等9种工质,然后采用主成分分析法对工质的热效率、循环净功和不可逆损失等7个热力性能指标进行了分析计算,得到了两个较为客观的综合评价指标,并在不同蒸发温度下对工质的综合热力性能进行了分析.结果表明:R601做功能力较强,综合效率较高,是该循环系统较为理想的工质.     

利用低品位热能的有机物朗肯循环的工质选择

工质对低品位热能有机物朗肯循环的安全性、环保性、经济性和高效性具有很大的影响.本文首先对61种工质的热力学、物理、化学、环保、安全和经济特性进行了研究,并从中挑选出11种符合上述特性的候选工质,然后对这些候选工质的干湿性、饱和性质和循环热效率进行了研究,确定了8种适合低品位热能有机物朗肯循环且具有潜力的工质,它们是丙烷...     

Effect of working fluids on organic Rankine cycle for waste heat recovery

This study presents an analysis of the performance of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) subjected to the influence of working fluids. The effects of various working fluids on the thermal efficiency and on the total heat-recovery efficiency have been investigated. It is found that the presence of hydrogen bond in certain molecules such as water, ammonia, and ethanol may result in wet fluid conditions due to larger vaporizing enthalpy, and is regarded as inappropriate for ORC systems. The calculated results reveal that the thermal efficiency for various working fluids is a weak function of the critical temperature. The maximum value of the total heat-recovery efficiency occurs at the appropriate evaporating temperature between the inlet temperature of waste heat and the condensing temperature. In addition, the maximum value of total heat-recovery efficiency increases with the increase of the inlet temperature of the waste heat source and decreases it by using working fluids having lower critical temperature. Analytical results using a constant waste heat temperature or based on thermal efficiency may result in considerable deviation of system design relative to the varying temperature conditions of the actual waste heat recovery and is regarded as inappropriate.     

Modelling and testing of a hybrid solar‐biomass ORC‐based micro‐CHP system

Expanders employed recently in organic Rankine cycle (ORC)‐based systems suffer from key problems including excessive working fluid leakage, thermal losses, low isentropic efficiency and high cost. The majority of the units available in the market are for medium and large‐scale applications (>100 kW) with no commercial micro‐scale expanders available and applicable for ORC units for residential and building applications. Moreover, the majority of the studies conducted on ORC expanders employed HFC and HCFC working fluids which have high global warming potential leading to negative environmental impacts. In this study, a micro‐scale CHP system based on the ORC technology is theoretically and experimentally investigated to provide the thermal needs and part of the electrical demands for residential applications. An innovative design for a hybrid ORC‐based micro‐CHP system is proposed using a biomass boiler and a solar concentrator to run the CHP system providing more reliable and clean operation compared to conventional natural gas‐driven units. The micro‐CHP system employs a new type small‐scale scroll expander with a compact design, integrating the generator and the turbine in a single unit. A numerical model was developed using the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) software to simulate the thermodynamic behaviour of the ORC unit predicting the thermal and electrical performance of the overall CHP system. In addition, an experimental setup was built to test the whole ORC–CHP system performance under different conditions, and the effect of various operational parameters on the system performance has been presented using an environmentally friendly HFE7100 working fluid. The maximum electric power generated by the expander was in the range of 500 W at a pressure differential of about 4.5 bars. The attained expander isentropic efficiency was over 80% at its peak operating conditions with no fluid leakage observed. Being mass‐produced with low cost in the automotive industry along with the high isentropic efficiency and the leakage‐free performance, the proposed compact scroll expander represents a potential candidate to be used in the development of micro‐scale ORC–CHP units for building applications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance and design optimization of a low-cost solar organic Rankine cycle for remote power generation

Recent interest in small-scale solar thermal combined heat and power (CHP) power systems has coincided with demand growth for distributed electricity supplies in areas poorly served by centralized power stations. One potential technical approach to meeting this demand is the parabolic trough solar thermal collector coupled with an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) heat engine.The paper describes the design of a solar organic Rankine cycle being installed in Lesotho for rural electrification purpose. The system consists of parabolic though collectors, a storages tank, and a small-scale ORC engine using scroll expanders.A model of each component is developed taking into account the main physical and mechanical phenomena occurring in the cycle and based on experimental data for the main key components.The model allows sizing the different components of the cycle and evaluates the performance of the system. Different working fluids are compared, and two different expansion machine configurations are simulated (single and double stage).     

Efficiency optimization potential in supercritical Organic Rankine Cycles

Nowadays, the use of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) in decentralised applications is linked with the fact that this process allows the use of low temperature heat sources and offers an advantageous efficiency in small-scale concepts. Many state-of-the-art and innovative applications can successfully use the ORC process. In this process, according to the heat source level, special attention must be drawn to the choice of the appropriate working fluid, which is a factor that affects the thermal and exergetic efficiency of the cycle. The investigation of supercritical parameters of various working fluids in ORC applications seems to bring promising results concerning the efficiency of the application.     

跨临界-亚临界复叠式有机朗肯循环性能分析

热源温度高于473.15 K时,复叠式有机朗肯循环(organic Rankine cycle,ORC)可避免高温下工质热分解、膨胀比过大等缺点,相对单级ORC更具优势.跨临界循环相较常规亚临界具有更高的吸热压力及更好的热源匹配性,其与复叠式ORC耦合有望获得更优的热力性能.因此,构建了跨临界-亚临界复叠式ORC(TS...