Experimental and Numerical Study of Supersonic Non-ideal Flows for Organic Rankine Cycle Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles Robertson ◽  
Peter Newton ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Aaron Costall ◽  
Ricardo Martinez-Botas
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Validation ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Helmholtz Energy ◽  
System Level ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Cfd Simulations

Abstract The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is low-grade heat recovery technology, for sources as diverse as geothermal, industrial, and vehicle waste heat. The working fluids used within these systems often display significant real-gas effects, especially in proximity of the thermodynamic critical point. Three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is commonly used for performance prediction and flow field analysis within expanders, but experimental validation with real gases is scarce within the literature. This paper therefore presents a dense-gas blowdown facility constructed at Imperial College London, for experimentally validating numerical simulations of these fluids. The system-level design process for the blowdown rig is described, including the sizing and specification of major components. Tests with refrigerant R1233zd(E) are run for multiple inlet pressures, against a nitrogen baseline case. CFD simulations are performed, with the refrigerant modeled by ideal gas, Peng–Robinson, and Helmholtz energy equations of state. It is shown that increases in fluid model fidelity lead to reduced deviation between simulation and experiment. Maximum and mean discrepancies of 9.59% and 8.12% in nozzle pressure ratio with the Helmholtz energy EoS are reported. This work demonstrates an over-prediction of pressure ratio and power output within commercial CFD packages, for turbomachines operating in non-ideal fluid environments. This suggests a need for further development and experimental validation of CFD simulations for highly non-ideal flows. The data contained within this paper are therefore of vital importance for the future validation and development of CFD methods for dense-gas turbomachinery.

Development and Commissioning of a Blowdown Facility for Dense Gas Vapours

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miles C. Robertson ◽  
Peter J. Newton ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Ricardo F. Martinez-Botas
Keyword(s):  
Test Section ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Ideal Gas ◽  
Helmholtz Energy ◽  
System Level ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Real Gas Effects

Abstract The Organic Rankine Cycle is a candidate technology for low grade heat recovery, from sources as diverse as geothermal, solar and industrial/vehicle waste heat. The organic working fluids used within these systems often display significant real-gas effects, especially in proximity of the thermodynamic critical point. Significant research has therefore been performed on the design of real-gas expansion devices, including both positive displacement and rotordynamic machinery. 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is commonly used for performance prediction and flow field analysis within expanders, and experimental validation of these simulations within a real-gas environment are scarce within the literature. This paper therefore presents a dense-gas blowdown facility constructed at Imperial College London, for the purpose of experimentally validating numerical simulations of these fluids. The system-level design process for the blowdown rig is detailed within this paper, including the sizing and specification of major components. A hemispherically-ended 3.785 L cylinder was selected as the main blowdown vessel, allowing a designpoint pressure and temperature of 3751 kPa and 477 K, respectively. Regulating valves were placed either side of the test section, allowing a Pressure Ratio to be fixed across the measurement section. The primary design focus of this paper is that of the test section — a converging-diverging nozzle producing an expansion of Mach 2 at the nozzle exit plane. The nozzle profile is generated by Method of Characteristics (MoC) modified to account for real-gas effects. Both mechanical and fluid dynamic design are discussed, along with location and thermal management of the nine pressure transducers, located along the nozzle centreline. A series of blowdown tests are conducted, firstly for a fluid conforming closely to the ideal gas Equation of State - Nitrogen (N2) at room temperature. A comparison between the experimental measurements and a CFD analysis of these results is taken as a benchmarking example. A second set of tests with refrigerant R1233zd(E) are run, across multiple inlet pressures - CFD simulations are subsequently performed, with the refrigerant modeled by Ideal Gas, Peng-Robinson, and Helmholtz energy (via REF-PROP) Equations of State. An error analysis is conducted for each, identifying that an increase in fluid model fidelity leads to reduced deviation between simulation and experiment. An average discrepancy of 11.1% in nozzle Pressure Ratio with the Helmholtz energy EoS indicates an over-prediction of expander power output within the CFD simulation.

scholarly journals Numerical Study of Multistage Transcritical Organic Rankine Cycle Axial Turbines

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Sciacovelli ◽  
P. Cinnella
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Study ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Dense Gas ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
The Impact

Transonic flows through axial, multistage, transcritical organic rankine cycle (ORC) turbines are investigated by using a numerical solver including advanced multiparameter equations of state and a high-order discretization scheme. The working fluids in use are the refrigerants R134a and R245fa, classified as dense gases due to their complex molecules and relatively high molecular weight. Both inviscid and viscous numerical simulations are carried out to quantify the impact of dense gas effects and viscous effects on turbine performance. Both supercritical and subcritical inlet conditions are studied for the considered working fluids. In the former case, flow across the turbine is transcritical, since turbine output pressure is subcritical. Numerical results show that, due to dense gas effects characterizing the flow at supercritical inlet conditions, supercritical ORC turbines enable, for a given pressure ratio, a higher isentropic efficiency than subcritical turbines using the same working fluid. Moreover, for the selected operating conditions, R134a provides a better performance than R245fa.

scholarly journals A Theoretical and Experimental Study of HFE-7000 in a Small Scale Solar Organic Rankine Cycle As a Thermofluid

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huseyin Utku Helvaci ◽  
Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Flat Plate ◽  
Thermal Energy ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Heat Energy ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Solar Collectors

Renewable energy technologies and sources have been playing a key role in reducing CO2 emissions and its footprint. Solar energy which is one of the major renewable energy sources can be utilized by means of solar Photovoltaic (PV) or solar collectors. Concentrating solar collectors supply thermal energy from medium to high grade where as non-concentrating collectors (flat plate) delivers low-grade thermal energy. The use of thermofluids with boiling temperatures lower than water, allows the operation of low grade solar thermal systems on an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) to generate both mechanical and heat energy. At the same time, the selection of an appropriate thermofluid is an important process and has a significant effect both on the system performance and the environment. Hydrofluoroethers (HFEs) are non-ozone depleting substances and they have relatively low global warming potential (GWP). In this study, a solar ORC is designed and commissioned to use HFE 7000 as a thermofluid. The proposed system consists of a flat-plate solar collector, a vane expander, a condenser and a pump where the collector and the expander are used as the heat source and prime mover of the cycle respectively. The performance of the system is determined through energy analysis. Then, a mathematical model of the cycle is developed to perform the simulations using HFE-7000 at various expander pressure values. Experimental data indicates that the efficiency and the net mechanical work output of the cycle were found to be 3.81% and 135.96 W respectively. The simulation results show that increasing the pressure ratio of the cycle decreased the amount of the heat that is transferred to HFE 7000 in the collector due to the increased heat loss from the collector to the environment. Furthermore, the net output of the system followed a linear augmentation as the pressure ratio of the system increased. In conclusion, both the experimental and theoretical research indicates that HFE 7000 offers a viable alternative to be used efficiently in small scale solar ORCs to generate mechanical and heat energy.

scholarly journals Comparative investigation of working fluids for an organic Rankine cycle with geothermal water

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-84
Author(s):  
Yan-Na Liu ◽  
Song Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Comparative Investigation ◽  
Geothermal Water ◽  
Thermodynamic Investigation ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Temperature Heat ◽  
Input Pressure

AbstractIn this paper, the thermodynamic investigation on the use of geothermal water (130 °C as maximum) for power generation through a basic Rankine has been presented together with obtained main results. Six typical organic working fluids (i.e., R245fa, R141b, R290, R600, R152a, and 134a) were studied with modifying the input pressure and temperature to the turbine. The results show that there are no significant changes taking place in the efficiency for these working fluids with overheating the inlet fluid to the turbine, i.e., efficiency is a weak function of temperature. However, with the increasing of pressure ratio in the turbine, the efficiency rises more sharply. The technical viability is shown of implementing this type of process for recovering low temperature heat resource.

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.

Numerical Study of a Micro Gas Turbine Integrated With a Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle Turbine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Reale ◽  
Vincenzo Iannotta ◽  
Raffaele Tuccillo
Keyword(s):  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Integrated Energy System

The primary need of reducing pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions has led to new energy scenarios. The interest of research community is mainly focused on the development of energy systems based on renewable resources and energy storage systems and smart energy grids. In the latter case small scale energy systems can become of interest as nodes of distributed energy systems. In this context micro gas turbines (MGT) can play a key role thanks to their flexibility and a strategy to increase their overall efficiency is to integrate gas turbines with a bottoming cycle. In this paper the authors analyze the possibility to integrate a MGT with a super critical CO2 Brayton cycle turbine (sCO2 GT) as a bottoming cycle (BC). A 0D thermodynamic analysis is used to highlight opportunities and critical aspects also by a comparison with another integrated energy system in which the waste heat recovery (WHR) is obtained by the adoption of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). While ORC is widely used in case of middle and low temperature of the heat source, s-CO2 BC is a new method in this field of application. One of the aim of the analysis is to verify if this choice can be comparable with ORC for this operative range, with a medium-low value of exhaust gases and very small power values. The studied MGT is a Turbec T100P.

Meanline Analysis and CFD Study of a Radial Inflow Turbine With Vaneless Distributor for Low Temperature Organic Rankine Cycle

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Deligant ◽  
S. Braccio ◽  
T. Capurso ◽  
F. Fornarelli ◽  
M. Torresi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Heat Sources ◽  
Turbine Wheel ◽  
Good Efficiency ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Abstract The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) allows the conversion of low-grade heat sources into electricity. Although this technology is not new, the increase in energy demand and the need to reduce CO2 emissions create new opportunities to harvest low grade heat sources such as waste heat. Radial turbines have a simple construction, they are robust and they are not very sensitive to geometry inaccuracies. Most of the radial inflow turbines used for ORC application feature a vaned nozzle ensuring the appropriate distribution angle at the rotor inlet. In this work, no nozzle is considered but only the vaneless gap (distributor). This configuration, without any vaned nozzle, is supposed to be more flexible under varying operating conditions with respect to fixed vanes and to maintain a good efficiency at off-design. This paper presents a performance analysis carried out by means of two approaches: a combination of meanline loss models enhanced with real gas fluid properties and 3D CFD computations, taking into account the entire turbomachine including the scroll housing, the vaneless gap, the turbine wheel and the axial discharge pipe. A detailed analysis of the flow field through the turbomachine is carried out, both under design and off design conditions, with a particular focus on the entropy field in order to evaluate the loss distribution between the scroll housing, the vaneless gap and the turbine wheel.

Investigations on experimental performance and system behavior of 10 kW organic Rankine cycle using scroll-type expander for low-grade heat source

Energy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 177 ◽  
pp. 94-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hung Lin ◽  
Pei-Pei Hsu ◽  
Ya-Ling He ◽  
Yong Shuai ◽  
Tzu-Chen Hung ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Source ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
System Behavior ◽  
Experimental Performance ◽  
Low Grade Heat

Thermo-economic optimization of small-scale Organic Rankine Cycle: A case study for low-grade industrial waste heat recovery

Energy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. 118898
Author(s):  
Bernardo Peris ◽  
Joaquín Navarro-Esbrí ◽  
Carlos Mateu-Royo ◽  
Adrián Mota-Babiloni ◽  
Francisco Molés ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat Recovery ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Organic Rankine Cycle ◽  
Rankine Cycle ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Low Grade ◽  
Economic Optimization ◽  
Industrial Waste Heat
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