Design, Modeling, and Performance Optimization of a Reversible Heat Pump/Organic Rankine Cycle System for Domestic Application

Author(s):  
Sylvain Quoilin ◽  
Olivier Dumont ◽  
Kristian Harley Hansen ◽  
Vincent Lemort

In this paper, an innovative system combining a heat pump (HP) and an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) process is proposed. This system is integrated with a solar roof, which is used as a thermal source to provide heat in winter months (HP mode) and electricity in summer months (ORC mode) when an excess irradiation is available on the solar roof. The main advantage of the proposed unit is its similarity with a traditional HP: the HP/ORC unit only requires the addition of a pump and four-way valves compared to a simple HP, which can be achieved at a low cost. A methodology for the optimal sizing and design of the system is proposed, based on the optimization of both continuous parameters such as heat exchanger size or discrete variables such as working fluid. The methodology is based on yearly simulations, aimed at optimizing the system performance (the net yearly power generation) over its whole operating range instead of just nominal sizing operating conditions. The simulations allow evaluating the amount of thermal energy and electricity generated throughout the year, yielding a net electric power output of 3496 kWh throughout the year.

Author(s):  
M. White ◽  
A. I. Sayma

For small and micro scale (< 50 kWe) organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems to be commercially viable, systems are required that can operate efficiently over a range of operating conditions. This will lead to the high volume, low cost production that is critical to improve the current economy of scale, and reduce system costs. This requirement will inevitably mean utilising the same system within a range of different applications and may also require the same turbine to operate in different systems where the working fluid may change. Under these circumstances it is therefore important to develop suitable models that can determine the off design performance of these turbines. This will help to understand how the performance of existing ORC turbines responds to such changes. This topic is also of interest when considering retrofitting existing systems with more modern working fluids, which meet current environmental regulations. Recent work by the authors has developed a turbine design model and produced a candidate radial turbine design. Furthermore a modified similitude theory has been developed and validated, which can be used to predict turbine performance following a change in working fluid. This paper extends this analysis to a wider array of working fluids, and in addition to comparing the important performance parameters such as mass flow rate and turbine efficiency, a detailed comparison of the resulting flow field, blade loading distributions and velocity triangles is also presented. Predictions made using the modified similitude theory are compared to steady and unsteady 3D RANS CFD simulations completed using the commercial solver ANSYS CFX. Real fluid properties are accounted for by generating property tables using REFPROP. By comparing these important flow features the validity of the modified similitude model can be examined to a much greater extent.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30
Author(s):  
Aya H.A .Kareem Kareem ◽  
Ali A. F. Al-Hamadan

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is one of the renewable energy to generate power at low temperatures; however, the thermal and physical properties data of the working fluid in this system are limited. In this regards, the experimental study by using R-141b as the working fluid and hot water (i.e. 50°C and 90°C) on the ORC system was conducted in order to evaluate the ORC performance via changing temperatures. Further, the air compressor was modified to act as a multi-vane expander in the ORC system. Energy and exergy analysis of ORC system was done by using Engineering Equation Solver (EES) program. It was found that the performance of the expander is acceptable and suitable for operating conditions. In addition, the heat source temperature has a direct effect on expander performance. The higher temperatures of the heat source led to an increase the expander inlet temperature. This system satisfied maximum thermal and exergy efficiency and they found equal to 1.8 % and 21%, respectively. Moreover, the rotation speed and power of expander are equal to 1200 RPM and 2.331 kW respectively. It was concluded that the working fluid R-141b is suitable for ORC system due to consider the working fluid that do not need high temperatures to evaporate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1984
Author(s):  
Ramin Moradi ◽  
Emanuele Habib ◽  
Enrico Bocci ◽  
Luca Cioccolanti

Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems are some of the most suitable technologies to produce electricity from low-temperature waste heat. In this study, a non-regenerative, micro-scale ORC system was tested in off-design conditions using R134a as the working fluid. The experimental data were then used to tune the semi-empirical models of the main components of the system. Eventually, the models were used in a component-oriented system solver to map the system electric performance at varying operating conditions. The analysis highlighted the non-negligible impact of the plunger pump on the system performance Indeed, the experimental results showed that the low pump efficiency in the investigated operating range can lead to negative net electric power in some working conditions. For most data points, the expander and the pump isentropic efficiencies are found in the approximate ranges of 35% to 55% and 17% to 34%, respectively. Furthermore, the maximum net electric power was about 200 W with a net electric efficiency of about 1.2%, thus also stressing the importance of a proper selection of the pump for waste heat recovery applications.


Author(s):  
Fredrik Ahlgren ◽  
Maria E. Mondejar ◽  
Magnus Genrup ◽  
Marcus Thern

Maritime transportation is a significant contributor to SOx, NOx and particle matter emissions, even though it has a quite low CO2 impact. New regulations are being enforced in special areas that limit the amount of emissions from the ships. This fact, together with the high fuel prices, is driving the marine industry towards the improvement of the energy efficiency of current ship engines and the reduction of their energy demand. Although more sophisticated and complex engine designs can improve significantly the efficiency of the energy systems in ships, waste heat recovery arises as the most influent technique for the reduction of the energy consumption. In this sense, it is estimated that around 50% of the total energy from the fuel consumed in a ship is wasted and rejected in fluid and exhaust gas streams. The primary heat sources for waste heat recovery are the engine exhaust and the engine coolant. In this work, we present a study on the integration of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) in an existing ship, for the recovery of the main and auxiliary engines exhaust heat. Experimental data from the operating conditions of the engines on the M/S Birka Stockholm cruise ship were logged during a port-to-port cruise from Stockholm to Mariehamn over a period of time close to one month. The ship has four main engines Wärtsilä 5850 kW for propulsion, and four auxiliary engines 2760 kW used for electrical consumers. A number of six load conditions were identified depending on the vessel speed. The speed range from 12–14 knots was considered as the design condition, as it was present during more than 34% of the time. In this study, the average values of the engines exhaust temperatures and mass flow rates, for each load case, were used as inputs for a model of an ORC. The main parameters of the ORC, including working fluid and turbine configuration, were optimized based on the criteria of maximum net power output and compactness of the installation components. Results from the study showed that an ORC with internal regeneration using benzene would yield the greatest average net power output over the operating time. For this situation, the power production of the ORC would represent about 22% of the total electricity consumption on board. These data confirmed the ORC as a feasible and promising technology for the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of existing ships.


Author(s):  
Jian Song ◽  
Chun-wei Gu

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.


Author(s):  
Concepción Paz ◽  
Eduardo Suarez ◽  
Miguel Concheiro ◽  
Antonio Diaz

Waste heat dissipated in the exhaust system in a combustion engine represents a major source of energy to be recovered and converted into useful work. A waste heat recovery system (WHRS) based on an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a promising approach, and has gained interest in the last few years in an automotive industry interested in reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. Understanding the thermodynamic response of the boiler employed in an ORC plays an important role in steam cycle performance prediction and control system design. The aim of this study is therefore to present a methodology to study these devices by means of pattern recognition with infrared thermography. In addition, the experimental test bench and its operating conditions are described. The methodology proposed identifies the wall coordinates, traces paths, and tracks wall temperature along them in a way that can be exported for subsequent post-processing and analysis. As for the results, through the wall temperature paths on both sides (exhaust gas and working fluid) it was possible to quantitatively estimate the temperature evolution along the boiler and, in particular, the beginning and end of evaporation.


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