Performance comparison and parametric optimization of subcritical Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and transcritical power cycle system for low-temperature geothermal power generation

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a promising technology for converting the low-grade energy to electricity. This paper presents an investigation on the parameter optimization and performance comparison of the fluids in subcritical ORC and transcritical power cycle in low-temperature (i.e. 80–100 °C) binary geothermal power system. The optimization procedure was conducted with a simulation program written in Matlab using five indicators: thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, recovery efficiency, heat exchanger area per unit power output (APR) and the levelized energy cost (LEC). With the given heat source and heat sink conditions, performances of the working fluids were evaluated and compared under their optimized internal operation parameters. The optimum cycle design and the corresponding operation parameters were provided simultaneously. The results indicate that the choice of working fluid varies the objective function and the value of the optimized operation parameters are not all the same for different indicators. R123 in subcritical ORC system yields the highest thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency of 11.1% and 54.1%, respectively. Although the thermal efficiency and exergy efficiency of R125 in transcritical cycle is 46.4% and 20% lower than that of R123 in subcritical ORC, it provides 20.7% larger recovery efficiency. And the LEC value is relatively low. Moreover, 22032L petroleum is saved and 74,019 kg CO₂ is reduced per year when the LEC value is used as the objective function. In conclusion, R125 in transcritical power cycle shows excellent economic and environmental performance and can maximize utilization of the geothermal. It is preferable for the low-temperature geothermal ORC system. R41 also exhibits favorable performance except for its flammability.     

Carbon Dioxide as Working Fluids in Transcritical Rankine Cycle for Diesel Engine Multiple Waste Heat Recovery in Comparison to Hydrocarbons

In consideration of the high-temperature characteristic of engine's waste heat and stricter environmental regulations, natural substance, including CO_2 and hydrocarbons, have been treated as promising working fluid for diesel engine waste heat recovery due to its environment friendly and excellent physical and chemical properties. This paper presented a comprehensive performance analysis on transcritical Rankine cycles for diesel engine multiple waste heat recovery using hydrocarbons and CO_2 as working fluid. The optimal turbine inlet pressures corresponding to maximum net power output, maximum exergy efficiency and minimum electricity production cost(EPC) were obtained. The effect of working fluid on these optimal pressures has been discussed. For fluids with low critical temperature, the optimal pressure corresponding to maximum net power output is lower than the one for maximum exergy efficiency, while the opposite results can be found for fluid with high critical temperature. Then, the effect of various working fluid properties in transcritical cycle performance is discussed. Comparison results show that CO_2 obtains only more power output than Ethane, Propane and Propene, but CO_2 is capable of absorbing more energy from engine coolant and regeneration heat with comparable total heat transfer areas and has an advantage in turbine size, particularly for hydrocarbons with high critical temperature.     

Thermal‐economic analysis of a transcritical Rankine power cycle with reheat enhancement for a low‐grade heat source

A thermal‐economic analysis of a transcritical Rankine power cycle with reheat enhancement using a low‐grade industrial waste heat is presented. Under the identical operating conditions, the reheat cycle is compared to the non‐reheat baseline cycle with respect to the specific net power output, the thermal efficiency, the heat exchanger area, and the total capital costs of the systems. Detailed parametric effects are investigated in order to maximize the cycle performance and minimize the system unit cost per net work output. The main results show that the value of the optimum reheat pressure maximizing the specific net work output is approximately equal to the one that causes the same expansion ratio across each stage turbine. Relative performance improvement by reheat process over the baseline is augmented with an increase of the high pressure but a decrease of the turbine inlet temperature. Enhancement for the specific net work output is more significant than that for the thermal efficiency under each condition, because total heat input is increased in the reheat cycle for the reheat process. The economic analysis reveals that the respective optimal high pressures minimizing the unit heat exchanger area and system cost are much lower than that maximizing the energy performance. The comparative analysis identifies the range of operating conditions when the proposed reheat cycle is more cost effective than the baseline. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parametric analysis and optimization for a combined power and refrigeration cycle

A combined power and refrigeration cycle is proposed, which combines the Rankine cycle and the absorption refrigeration cycle. This combined cycle uses a binary ammonia–water mixture as the working fluid and produces both power output and refrigeration output simultaneously with only one heat source. A parametric analysis is conducted to evaluate the effects of thermodynamic parameters on the performance of the combined cycle. It is shown that heat source temperature, environment temperature, refrigeration temperature, turbine inlet pressure, turbine inlet temperature, and basic solution ammonia concentration have significant effects on the net power output, refrigeration output and exergy efficiency of the combined cycle. A parameter optimization is achieved by means of genetic algorithm to reach the maximum exergy efficiency. The optimized exergy efficiency is 43.06% under the given condition.     

How to select regenerative configurations of CO2 transcritical Rankine cycle based on the temperature matching analysis

CO₂ transcritical Rankine cycle is regarded as a potential technology for internal combustion engines waste heat recovery, and its regenerative configurations present great prospect to increase the power output capacity. This paper proposed different regenerator layout configurations based on the temperature matching analysis, including low temperature regenerative transcritical Rankine cycle (LR-TRC), high temperature regenerative transcritical Rankine cycle (HR-TRC), dual regenerative transcritical Rankine cycle (DR-TRC) and split dual regenerative transcritical Rankine cycle (SR-TRC). Afterward, the thermodynamics, electricity production cost (EPC) and miniaturization performance are implemented. The results show that regenerative configurations have an effect on improving net power output and SR-TRC obtained optimal value of net power output. For the perspective of economic performance, the greatest value is obtained for HR-TRC among four regenerative configurations. As for the miniaturization performance, the total heat transfer area increment of LR-TRC is the lowest. The comparative analysis results offer guidance for selecting optimal regenerative configurations.     

分液冷凝有机朗肯循环系统R245fa/HFOs工质选择研究

有机朗肯循环是中低品位热能高效利用的有效技术之一,分液冷凝有机朗肯循环（LSCORC）是基于分液冷凝传热强化的新型热力循环。为寻找新型环保替代工质,建立LSCORC系统的热力学模型,以最大化净输出功为目标,重点考虑了雅各布数、冷热源换热匹配对系统性能的影响,对R245fa/HFOs工质进行了对比筛选。结果表明：工质的雅各布数越大,其净输出功越小;在基础工况下,R245fa/R1336mzz(Z)的热力性能及热经济性表现最佳;当热源参数变化时,雅各布数较小工质的性能表现普遍优于雅各布数较大的工质组合;当冷源参数变化时,在分液冷凝器两个流程中温度滑移和冷源温升匹配越好的工质组合,其系统净输出功越大。     

A comparative study of the carbon dioxide transcritical power cycle compared with an organic rankine cycle with R123 as working fluid in waste heat recovery

The organic rankine cycle (ORC) as a bottoming cycle¹ to convert low-grade waste heat into useful work has been widely investigated for many years. The CO₂ transcritical power cycle, on the other hand, is scarcely treated in the open literature. A CO₂ transcritical power cycle (CO₂ TPC) shows a higher potential than an ORC when taking the behavior of the heat source and the heat transfer between heat source and working fluid in the main heat exchanger into account. This is mainly due to better temperature glide matching between heat source and working fluid. The CO₂ cycle also shows no pinch limitation in the heat exchanger. This study treats the performance of the CO₂ transcritical power cycle utilizing energy from low-grade waste heat to produce useful work in comparison to an ORC using R123 as working fluid.Due to the temperature gradients for the heat source and heat sink the thermodynamic mean temperature has been used as a reference temperature when comparing both cycles. The thermodynamic models have been developed in EES² The relative efficiencies have been calculated for both cycles. The results obtained show that when utilizing the low-grade waste heat with the same thermodynamic mean heat rejection temperature, a transcritical carbon dioxide power system gives a slightly higher power output than the organic rankine cycle.     

Comparison of a Basic Organic Rankine Cycle and a Parallel Double-Evaporator Organic Rankine Cycle

ABSTRACT

The applications of zeotropic mixtures and multi-evaporator systems are two viable options to improve the performance of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). This paper conducts the thermo-economic comparison of a basic ORC with R245fa/R600a and a parallel double-evaporator organic Rankine cycle (PDORC) with R245fa. Four indicators are used to evaluate the system performance: net power, cycle efficiency, area of heat exchangers, and area of heat exchangers per net power output. Submodels of condensers and evaporators are established specially for pure organic fluids and zeotropic mixtures. The performance optimization using genetic algorithm is conducted to compare the two systems quantitatively. The optimization indicates a zeotropic mixture is more profitable than a pure work fluid in a basic ORC with a worthy additional investment of heat exchanger. Though PDORC can increase net power obviously, it would decrease the thermo-economic performance of ORC.     

Thermodynamic analysis of a transcritical CO2 power cycle driven by solar energy with liquified natural gas as its heat sink

This paper proposes a transcritical CO₂ power cycle driven by solar energy while utilizing the cold heat rejection to an liquified natural gas (LNG) evaporation system. In order to ensure a continuous and stable operation for the system, a thermal storage system is introduced to store the collected solar energy and to provide stable power output when solar radiation is insufficient. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the solar-driven transcritical CO₂ power cycle under steady-state conditions, and a modified system efficiency is defined to better evaluate the cycle performance over a period of time. The thermodynamic analysis focuses on the effects of some key parameters, including the turbine inlet pressure, the turbine inlet temperature and the condensation temperature, on the system performance. Results indicate that the net power output mainly depends on the solar radiation over a day, yet the system is still capable of generating electricity long after sunset by virtue of the thermal storage tank. An optimum turbine inlet pressure exists under given conditions where the net power output and the system efficiency both reach maximum values. The net power output and the system efficiency are less sensitive to the change in the turbine inlet temperature, but the condensation temperature exerts a significant influence on the system performance. The surface area of heat exchangers increases with the rise in the turbine inlet temperature, while changes in the turbine inlet pressure have no significant impact on the heat exchanging area under the given conditions.     

亚临界有机朗肯循环系统的热经济分析与优化

以系统发电成本(electricity production cost,EPC)为评价指标,对用于回收工业锅炉烟气余热的有机朗肯循环(ORC)系统进行了热经济分析与优化。结果表明,随着蒸发器和冷凝器节点温差的增大,系统发电成本先减小、再增大,即存在一组最优的蒸发器和冷凝器节点温差使发电成本最小。分别以纯工质R245fa和R236ea、非共沸混合工质R141b/RC318和乙烷/丁烷为循环工质,得到了最小发电成本时有机朗肯循环系统的最优工作参数,以及对应的系统净输出功、热效率和火用效率。     

Experimental investigation on the performance of ORC power system using zeotropic mixture R601a/R600a

An experimental study on the practical performance of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) system using zeotropic mixture is performed by using a small scale ORC power generation experimental setup. R601a/R600a is selected as the working fluid. The effects of mixture composition, heat source temperature, and working fluid flow rate on the performance of ORC system are investigated. The experimental results indicate that the net power output first increases and then decreases as the R600a concentration increases. The optimal mixture composition with the maximum net power output is 0.6/0.4 (mass fraction) at the heat source temperature of 115°C. The net power output of R601a/R600a (0.6/0.4) is higher than that of R601a by 25%, indicating that the performance of ORC system can be clearly improved by using the zeotropic mixture. For a fixed working fluid flow rate, both net power output and thermal efficiency first decrease slowly and then drop sharply with the decrease of the heat source temperature. The appropriate superheat degree of R601a/R600a is in the range of 15 to 20°C when the heat source temperature has a small variation. In addition, the optimal working fluid volume flow rates yielding the maximum net power output are obtained for different compositions of R601a/R600a. The experimental results in the study can be of great significance for the design and operation of ORC power system using zeotropic mixture. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用地热能的双压有机朗肯循环性能分析

根据地热利用系统回灌的要求,对热源在系统出口处的温度进行限制,研究了双压有机朗肯循环（DPORC）中的热量分配以及随运行时间的系统性能变化,针对5种不同的有机工质进行了计算分析。研究表明：系统热力学性能的最大值和有机工质流量的最小值在同样的k值（热源提供给高压循环的热量与热源为DPORC提供的热量比）处获得。而采用R600和R245fa系统的净输出功率较大;相比R601,采用R245fa可以将系统的净输出功率提高168.06 kW（5.55%）,热效率和效率分别可提高0.70%和2.86%。相比于单压有机朗肯循环（SPORC）,DPORC可以有效减小系统随运行时间净输出功率降低的幅度。经过40 a的运行,采用R601的系统净输出功率降低幅度最低（428.11 kW, 14.14%）,而采用R600系统的净输出功率降低幅度最大（526.75 kW, 16.55%）。     

Power-based performance comparison between carbon dioxide and R125 transcritical cycles for a low-grade heat source

In order to compare the power output of the carbon dioxide transcritical cycle and the R125 transcritical cycle for a low-grade heat source of about 100 °C, the two cycles were optimized for power output using a simulation method. In contrast to conventional approaches, each working fluid’s heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics within the heat exchangers were taken into account by using a discretized heat exchanger model. To fairly compare the power output of the cycles by using different working fluids, the inlet temperatures and the flow rates of both the heat source and the heat sink were fixed. The cycle minimum temperature was not given, but was determined by the heat sink conditions and the working fluid’s heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics, as it is in actual practice. The total heat transfer area was fixed, whereas the allocation of the heat-exchanger area between the vapor generator and the condenser was optimized in the simulation. The R125 transcritical cycle produced 14% more power than did the carbon dioxide transcritical cycle. Even though the carbon dioxide cycle shows better heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in the heat exchangers, the high pumping power required to manage the large pressure head degrades the cycle’s power output. Based on this study, the R125 transcritical cycle is recommended for heat sources of about 100 °C.     

Power,power density and efficiency optimization of an endoreversible Braysson cycle

The performance optimization of an endoreversible Braysson cycle with heat resistance losses in the hot- and cold-side heat exchangers is performed by using finite-time thermodynamics. The relations between the power output and the working fluid temperature ratio, between the power density and the working fluid temperature ratio, as well as between the efficiency and the working fluid temperature ratio of the cycle coupled to constant-temperature heat reservoirs are derived. Moreover, the optimum heat conductance distributions corresponding to the optimum dimensionless power output, the optimum dimensionless power density and the optimum thermal efficiency of the cycle, and the optimum working fluid temperature ratios corresponding to the optimum dimensionless power output and the optimum dimensionless power density are provided. The effects of various design parameters on those optimum values are studied by detailed numerical examples.     

Theoretical thermodynamic analysis of Rankine power cycle with thermal driven pump

A new approach to improve the performance of supercritical carbon dioxide Rankine cycle which uses low temperature heat source is presented. The mechanical pump in conventional supercritical carbon dioxide Rankine cycle is replaced by thermal driven pump. The concept of thermal driven pump is to increase the pressure of a fluid in a closed container by supplying heat. A low grade heat source is used to increase the pressure of the fluid instead of a mechanical pump, this increase the net power output and avoid the need for mechanical pump which requires regular maintenance and operational cost. The thermal driven pump considered is a shell and tube heat exchanger where the working fluid is contained in the tube, a tube diameter of 5 mm is chosen to reduce the heating time. The net power output of the Rankine cycle with thermal driven pump is compared to that of Rankine cycle with mechanical pump and it is observed that the net power output is higher when low grade thermal energy is used to pressurize the working fluid. The thermal driven pump consumes additional heat at low temperature (60 °C) to pressurize the working fluid.     

Optimum design criteria for an Organic Rankine cycle using low-temperature geothermal heat sources

A cost-effective optimum design criterion for Organic Rankine power cycles utilizing low-temperature geothermal heat sources is presented. The ratio of the total heat exchanger area to net power output is used as the objective function and was optimized using the steepest descent method. Evaporation and condensation temperatures, geothermal and cooling water velocities are varied in the optimization method. The optimum cycle performance is evaluated and compared for working fluids that include ammonia, HCFC123, n-Pentane and PF5050. The optimization method converges to a unique solution for specific values of evaporation and condensation temperatures and geothermal and cooling water velocities. The choice of working fluid can be greatly affect the objective function which is a measure of power plant cost and in some instances the difference could be more than twice. Ammonia has minimum objective function and maximum geothermal water utilization, but not necessarily maximum cycle efficiency. Exergy analysis shows that efficiency of the ammonia cycle has been largely compromised in the optimization process than that of other working fluids. The fluids, HCFC 123 and n-Pentane, have better performance than PF 5050, although the latter has most preferable physical and chemical characteristics compared to other fluids considered.     

Thermodynamic analysis of a new double-pressure condensation power generation system recovering LNG cold energy for hydrogen production

Cold energy during the LNG regasification process is usually applied for power generation, but the electricity demand varies with the time. Therefore, a thought that transforming electrical energy into hydrogen energy by PEM electrolyzer is put forward to adjust the adaptability of power output to electricity demand. This paper proposes a new double-pressure condensation Rankine cycle integrated with PEM electrolyzer for hydrogen production. In this system, seawater is used as the heat source, and binary mixed working fluids are applied. Meanwhile, multi-stream heat exchanger is introduced to improve the irreversibility of heat transfer between LNG and working fluid. The key system parameters, including seawater temperature, the first-stage condensation temperature, the second-stage condensation temperature, and outlet temperature of LNG, are studied to clarify their effects on net power generation, hydrogen production rate and energy efficiency. Furthermore, the hydrogen production rate is as the objective function, these parameters are optimized by genetic algorithm. Results show that seawater temperature has positive impact on the net power output and hydrogen production rate. The first-stage condensation temperature, the second-stage condensation temperature, and outlet temperature of LNG have diverse effects on the system performance. Under the optimal working conditions, when the LNG regasification pressure are 600, 2500, 3000 and 7000 kPa, the increasing rate for optimized net power output, hydrogen production rate and energy efficiency are more than 11.68%, 11.67% and 8.88%, respectively. The cost of hydrogen production with the proposed system varies from 1.93 $/kg H2 to 2.88 $/kg H2 when LNG regasification pressure changes from 600 kPa to 7000 kPa.     

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(TSORC),以473.15~573.15 K工业烟气为热源,针对5组工质,探究了吸热压力、冷凝压力对系统热力性能的影响,优化系统参数以获得最大净输出功;并与常规亚临界-亚临界复叠式ORC(SSORC)进行对比。结果表明:TSORC相对SSORC可有效增大系统净输出功,最多可提高23.9%;但当热源温度低于"等值热源温度"时,SSORC的输出功反而更大;以R1233zd-R1234ze(E)为工质的TSORC具有最大净输出功。     

Theoretical and experimental investigation of an ammonia–water power and refrigeration thermodynamic cycle

A combined thermal power and cooling cycle proposed by Goswami is under intensive investigation, both theoretically and experimentally. The proposed cycle combines the Rankine and absorption refrigeration cycles, using a binary ammonia–water mixture as the working fluid. This cycle can be used as a bottoming cycle using waste heat from a conventional power cycle or an independent cycle using low temperature sources such as geothermal and solar energy. Initial parametric studies of the cycle showed the potential for the cycle to be optimized for first or second law efficiency, as well as work or cooling output. For a solar heat source, optimization of the second law efficiency is most appropriate, since the spent heat source fluid is recycled through the solar collectors. The optimization results verified that the cycle could be optimized using the generalized reduced gradient method. Theoretical results were extended to include realistic irreversibilities in the cycle, in preparation for the experimental study. An experimental system was constructed to demonstrate the feasibility of the cycle and to compare the experimental results with the theoretical simulation. Results showed that the vapor generation and absorption condensation processes work experimentally. The potential for combined turbine work and refrigeration output was evidenced in operating the system. Analysis of losses showed where improvements could be made, in preparation for further testing over a broader range of operating parameters.     

A comparative thermodynamic analysis of Kalina and organic Rankine cycles for hot dry rock: a prospect study in the Gonghe Basin

Hot dry rock is a new type of geothermal resource which has a promising application prospect in China. This paper conducted a comparative research on performance evaluation of two eligible bottoming cycles for a hot dry rock power plant in the Gonghe Basin. Based on the given heat production conditions, a Kalina cycle and three organic Rankine cycles were tested respectively with different ammonia-water mixtures of seven ammonia mass fractions and nine eco-friendly working fluids. The results show that the optimal ammonia mass fraction is 82% for the proposed bottoming Kalina cycle in view of maximum net power output. Thermodynamic analysis suggests that wet fluids should be supercritical while dry fluids should be saturated at the inlet of turbine, respectively. The maximum net power output of the organic Rankine cycle with dry fluids expanding from saturated state is higher than that of the other organic Rankine cycle combinations, and is far higher than the maximum net power output in all tested Kalina cycle cases. Under the given heat production conditions of hot dry rock resource in the Gonghe Basin, the saturated organic Rankine cycle with the dry fluid butane as working fluid generates the largest amount of net power.