Numerical Simulation of Real-Gas Flow in a Supersonic Turbine Nozzle Ring

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 395-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Hoffren ◽  
T. Talonpoika ◽  
J. Larjola ◽  
T. Siikonen
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Ideal Gas ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Real Gas

In small Rankine cycle power plants, it is advantageous to use organic media as the working fluid. A low-cost single-stage turbine design together with the high molecular weight of the fluid leads to high Mach numbers in the turbine. Turbine efficiency can be improved significantly by using an iterative design procedure based on an accurate CFD simulation of the flow. For this purpose, an existing Navier-Stokes solver is tailored for real gas, because the expansion of an organic fluid cannot be described with ideal gas equations. The proposed simulation method is applied for the calculation of supersonic flow in a turbine stator. The main contribution of the paper is to demonstrate how a typical ideal-gas CFD code can be adapted for real gases in a very general, fast, and robust manner.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Real-Gas Flow in a Supersonic ORC Turbine Nozzle

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teemu Turunen-Saaresti ◽  
Jin Tang ◽  
Jos van Buijtenen ◽  
Jaakko Larjola
Keyword(s):  
Flow Field ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Nozzle Geometry ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Real Gas

Using organic matter as the working fluid in small Rankine cycle power plants is beneficial. However, high molecular weight of the fluid and the single-stage design of the turbine lead to a supersonic flow in the turbine. An Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) plant was designed and tested. Toluene was used as the working fluid and as lubricant. The turbine and the feed pump were placed on the same shaft as the high-speed generator in the designed 175 kW unit. CFD simulations were used in the design process. Toluene is behaving as a real gas in the nozzle. To ensure an accurate simulation, a real gas model of toluene was implemented in an existing Navier-Stokes flow solver. Polynomial and rational regression were used to achieve the functions for the gas properties. The pressure and temperature were measured at the nozzle inlet and outlet. In the CFD simulations the nozzle ring was modelled with and without a temperature probe in order to model the effect of the probe to the flow field and compare the simulated pressure and temperature values against the measurements. The nozzle geometry was also modelled in 2D and 3D in order to see the effect of the 3D in the flow field. There was quite a good agreement between the measured and simulated data. The agreement in the temperature was better than in the pressure. The effect of 3D on the simulation results was minor, which was expected. The simulated flow field revealed that the shock waves developing in the trailing edge of the nozzle were seen in the turbine rotor inlet.

3D CFD Analysis of a Twin Screw Expander With Different Real Gas Models for R245fa

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Papes ◽  
Lazhar Abdelli ◽  
Joris Degroote ◽  
Jan Vierendeels
Keyword(s):  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Ideal Gas ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Twin Screw ◽  
The Ideal

With the increasing importance of minimizing primary energy usage and complying with emission restrictions, a significant interest has been developed towards waste heat recovery from industrial processes. A large portion of this energy is available at low temperatures (350K–400K) but it can be relatively efficiently converted into mechanical power using an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). Twin screw expanders can be used as an alternative to turbines with their cheap production costs and well proven efficiencies. In this paper, 3D CFD simulations of a twin screw expander using R245fa as the working fluid are performed. Since the fluid properties show big deviations when using the ideal gas equation of state (EoS), the flow problem has been evaluated using different real gas models. Thermodynamic parameters for the ideal gas EoS, the cubic Aungier Redlich-Kwong EoS and the CoolProp fluid database (open source) were compared in a preliminary study. After that, the models have been included through user-defined functions (UDFs) in ANSYS Fluent and were tested on 3D CFD calculations of a twin screw expander and a simplified expansion model. Several performance indicators such as mass flow rates, pressure-volume diagrams and power output are used to compare different fluid models for R245fa. From the results of this study, it can be concluded that the ideal gas EoS shows big deviations going closer to the saturation vapor line and the deviation in power comparing to the Aungier Redlich-Kwong EoS is around 8%. Conversely, the Aungier Redlich-Kwong EoS and the CoolProp database present very similar results for this case.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Supersonic ORC Turbine Injector Designs to Fluctuating Operating Conditions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elio A. Bufi ◽  
Paola Cinnella ◽  
Xavier Merle
Keyword(s):  
Method Of Characteristics ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Design Procedure ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Real Gas Effects ◽  
Nozzle Shape ◽  
Turbine Design ◽  
The Impact

The design of an efficient organic rankine cycle (ORC) expander needs to take properly into account strong real gas effects that may occur in given ranges of operating conditions, which can also be highly variable. In this work, we first design ORC turbine geometries by means of a fast 2-D design procedure based on the method of characteristics (MOC) for supersonic nozzles characterized by strong real gas effects. Thanks to a geometric post-processing procedure, the resulting nozzle shape is then adapted to generate an axial ORC blade vane geometry. Subsequently, the impact of uncertain operating conditions on turbine design is investigated by coupling the MOC algorithm with a Probabilistic Collocation Method (PCM) algorithm. Besides, the injector geometry generated at nominal operating conditions is simulated by means of an in-house CFD solver. The code is coupled to the PCM algorithm and a performance sensitivity analysis, in terms of adiabatic efficiency and power output, to variations of the operating conditions is carried out.

1-D Model Analysis of Tesla Turbine for Small Scale Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) System

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Song ◽  
Chun-wei Gu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Axial Flow ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Expansion Ratio ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
D Model

Energy shortage and environmental deterioration are two crucial issues that the developing world has to face. In order to solve these problems, conversion of low grade energy is attracting broad attention. Among all of the existing technologies, Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) has been proven to be one of the most effective methods for the utilization of low grade heat sources. Turbine is a key component in ORC system and it plays an important role in system performance. Traditional turbine expanders, the axial flow turbine and the radial inflow turbine are typically selected in large scale ORC systems. However, in small and micro scale systems, traditional turbine expanders are not suitable due to large flow loss and high rotation speed. In this case, Tesla turbine allows a low-cost and reliable design for the organic expander that could be an attractive option for small scale ORC systems. A 1-D model of Tesla turbine is presented in this paper, which mainly focuses on the flow characteristics and the momentum transfer. This study improves the 1-D model, taking the nozzle limit expansion ratio into consideration, which is related to the installation angle of the nozzle and the specific heat ratio of the working fluid. The improved model is used to analyze Tesla turbine performance and predict turbine efficiency. Thermodynamic analysis is conducted for a small scale ORC system. The simulation results reveal that the ORC system can generate a considerable net power output. Therefore, Tesla turbine can be regarded as a potential choice to be applied in small scale ORC systems.

Dropwise Condensation on Carbon Steel Surface

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangyu Cao ◽  
Sean Hoenig ◽  
Chien-hua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Carbon Steel ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Condensation Heat Transfer ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
High Heat Flux ◽  
Dropwise Condensation ◽  
Two Phase

The increasing demand of heat dissipation in power plants has pushed the limits of current two-phase thermal technologies such as heat pipes and vapor chambers. One of the most obvious areas for thermal improvement is centered on the high heat flux condensers including improved evaporators, thermal interfaces, etc, with low cost materials and surface treatment. Dropwise condensation has shown the ability to increase condensation heat transfer coefficient by an order of magnitude over conventional filmwise condensation. Current dropwise condensation research is focused on Cu and other special metals, the cost of which limits its application in the scale of commercial power plants. Presented here is a general use of self-assembled monolayer coatings to promote dropwise condensation on low-cost steel-based surfaces. Together with inhibitors in the working fluid, the surface of condenser is protected by hydrophobic coating, and the condensation heat transfer is promoted on carbon steel surfaces.

Calculation and Optimization of Heat Transfer between the Low Exergy Heat Source and Organic Rankine Cycle Applied to Heat Recovery Systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 597 ◽  
pp. 45-50
Author(s):  
Sławomir Smoleń ◽  
Hendrik Boertz
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Heat Source ◽  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Optimization Procedure ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Total System

One of the key challenges on the area of energy engineering is the system development for increasing the efficiency of primary energy conversion and use. An effective and important measure suitable for improving efficiencies of existing applications and allowing the extraction of energy from previously unsuitable sources is the Organic Rankine Cycle. Applications based on this cycle allow the use of low temperature energy sources such as waste heat from industrial applications, geothermal sources, biomass, fired power plants and micro combined heat and power systems.Working fluid selection is a major step in designing heat recovery systems based on the Organic Rankine Cycle. Within the framework of the previous original study a special tool has been elaborated in order to compare the influence of different working fluids on performance of an ORC heat recovery power plant installation. A database of a number of organic fluids has been developed. The elaborated tool should create a support by choosing an optimal working fluid for special applications and become a part of a bigger optimization procedure by different frame conditions. The main sorting criterion for the fluids is the system efficiency (resulting from the thermo-physical characteristics) and beyond that the date base contains additional information and criteria, which have to be taken into account, like environmental characteristics for safety and practical considerations.The presented work focuses on the calculation and optimization procedure related to the coupling heat source – ORC cycle. This interface is (or can be) a big source of energy but especially exergy losses. That is why the optimization of the heat transfer between the heat source and the process is (besides the ORC efficiency) of essential importance for the total system efficiency.Within the presented work the general calculation approach and some representative calculation results have been given. This procedure is a part of a complex procedure and program for Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle Applied to Heat Recovery Systems.

Application of Supercritical Fluids in Thermal- and Nuclear-Power Engineering

2021 ◽  
pp. 601-658
Author(s):  
Igor L. Pioro
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Fluids ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Thermal Power Plants ◽  
Power Cycles

Supercritical Fluids (SCFs) have unique thermophyscial properties and heat-transfer characteristics, which make them very attractive for use in power industry. In this chapter, specifics of thermophysical properties and heat transfer of SCFs such as water, carbon dioxide, and helium are considered and discussed. Also, particularities of heat transfer at Supercritical Pressures (SCPs) are presented, and the most accurate heat-transfer correlations are listed. Supercritical Water (SCW) is widely used as the working fluid in the SCP Rankine “steam”-turbine cycle in fossil-fuel thermal power plants. This increase in thermal efficiency is possible by application of high-temperature reactors and power cycles. Currently, six concepts of Generation-IV reactors are being developed, with coolant outlet temperatures of 500°C~1000°C. SCFs will be used as coolants (helium in GFRs and VHTRs, and SCW in SCWRs) and/or working fluids in power cycles (helium, mixture of nitrogen (80%) and helium (20%), nitrogen and carbon dioxide in Brayton gas-turbine cycles, and SCW/“steam” in Rankine cycle).

Transient CFD Visualization of Fossil Fuel Combustion Simulations

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Dotson ◽  
Kent Eshenberg ◽  
Chris Guenther ◽  
Thomas O’Brien
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Cfd Simulations ◽  
Projection System ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
High Level ◽  
Wall System

The design of high-efficiency lower-emission coal-fed power plants is facilitated by the extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. This paper describes work conducted at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) to provide an environment for the immersive three-dimensional visualization of CFD simulation results. A low-cost high-resolution projection system has been developed in the visualization lab at NETL. This multi-wall system consists of four projection screens, three of which are tiled into four quadrants. The graphics for the multi-wall system are rendered using a cluster of eight personal computers. A high-level visualization interface named Mavis has also been developed to combine the powerful 3D modules of OpenDX with methods developed at NETL for studying multiphase CFD data. With Python, a completely new OpenDX user interface was built that extends and simplifies the features of a basic graphics library.

Effects of Various Types of Binary Cycles on Thermal and Exergy Efficiency of Combined Flash-Binary Power Plants

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahshid Vatani ◽  
Masoud Ziabasharhagh ◽  
Shayan Amiri
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Internal Heat ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Exergy Efficiency ◽  
Maximum Efficiency ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Internal Heat Exchanger ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Geothermal Power

With the progress of technologies, engineers try to evaluate new and applicable ways to get high possible amount of energy from renewable resources, especially in geothermal power plants. One of the newest techniques is combining different types of geothermal cycles to decrease wastage of the energy. In the present article, thermodynamic optimization of different flash-binary geothermal power plants is studied to get maximum efficiency. The cycles studied in this paper are single and double flash-binary geothermal power plants of basic Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), regenerative ORC and ORC with an Internal Heat Exchanger (IHE). The main gain due to using various types of ORC cycles is to determine the best and efficient type of the Rankine cycle for combined flash-binary geothermal power plants. Furthermore, in binary cycles choosing the best and practical working fluid is an important factor. Hence three different types of working fluids have been used to find the best one that gives maximum thermal and exergy efficiency of combined flash-binary geothermal power plants. According to results, the maximum thermal and exergy efficiencies both achieved in ORC with an IHE and the effective working fluid is R123.

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