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Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "J: Thermal Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 June 2021) | Viewed by 23446
The submission system is still open. Submit your paper and select the Journal "Energies" and the Special Issue "Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines" via: https://susy.mdpi.com/user/manuscripts/upload?journal=energies. Please contact the journal editor Adele Min (adele.min@mdpi.com) for any queries.

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Prof. Dr. Roberto Cipollone

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Interests: engine thermal management; thermal machines; energy systems; energy efficiency; energy recovery; energy planning; carbon finance
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Dr. Davide Di Battista

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial and Information Engineering and Economics, University of L’Aquila, v. G. Gronchi, 18, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
Interests: engine thermal management; thermal machines; energy systems; energy efficiency; energy recovery; energy planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Internal combustion engines are experiencing a transition era in which research and innovation are mainly pushed by environmental issues: Emission reduction and fuel saving are the indispensable requirements of the new technologies which will enter into the market. More stringent emission levels have been set up for the future, and real driving emissions tests are going through the homologation procedure. How future propulsion on the road will be reoriented is unclear and depends on many interventions, not only technological: A good contribution by electricity is sustainable, but it is given that the internal combustion engine and post-treatment improvements will guarantee a transition solution in the next couple of decades. Thus, the future of internal combustion engines calls for a strong commitment to improve air quality in high congested areas and to participate to the universally recognized effort related to the greenhouse gas reduction. From this point of view, waste heat recovery and its valorization represent an interesting area of application: A huge scientific effort is underway, and a great expectation is perceptible. More generally, the technological options that can achieve a reduction of overall fuel consumption and, thus, the improvement of global engine efficiency are the most valuable when they can be introduced without massive changes to the engine layout.

Among them, thermal energy recovery is a very interesting opportunity, since almost two thirds of fuel energy are not converted into mechanical useful energy, and it is usually wasted through exhaust gases or sensible heat. Then, the integration with other thermal streams on board can add a further value to the recovery opportunity as well as the concept of managing the engine heat up and cooling. The recovery transformed into electrical energy also represents an interesting opportunity for hybrid propulsion powertrains contributing to transition technology toward a full electrification.

This Special Issue intends to focus all the studies and technologies which will give a value to the thermal energy recovery in internal combustion engines, also extending interest to the wide conceptual research area of engine thermal management.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to:

Waste heat recovery via ORC-based power units;
Direct waste heat recovery via turbo-compounding;
Thermoelectric conversion;
Waste heat recovery via IBC-based power units;
Internal combustion engines with additional expansion strokes;
Internal combustion engines based on Atkinson and Miller cycles;
Waste heat recovery in thermal form;
Integration of different thermal needs in a vehicle;
Cooling fluid and oil thermal management;
Control strategies for thermal engine optimization.

Prof. Dr. Roberto Cipollone
Prof. Dr. Davide Di Battista
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

internal combustion engine
waste heat recovery
thermal management

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 7733 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Design and Operational Control Strategy for Optimum Off-Design Performance of an ORC Plant for Low-Grade Waste Heat Recovery

by Fabio Fatigati, Diego Vittorini, Yaxiong Wang, Jian Song, Christos N. Markides and Roberto Cipollone

Energies 2020, 13(21), 5846; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13215846 - 09 Nov 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3180

Abstract

The applicability of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology to waste heat recovery (WHR) is currently experiencing growing interest and accelerated technological development. The utilization of low-to-medium grade thermal energy sources, especially in the presence of heat source intermittency in applications where the thermal source is characterized by highly variable thermodynamic conditions, requires a control strategy for off-design operation to achieve optimal ORC power-unit performance. This paper presents a validated comprehensive model for off-design analysis of an ORC power-unit, with R236fa as the working fluid, a gear pump, and a 1.5 kW sliding vane rotary expander (SVRE) for WHR from the exhaust gases of a light-duty internal combustion engine. Model validation is performed using data from an extensive experimental campaign on both the rotary equipment (pump, expander) and the remainder components of the plant, namely the heat recovery vapor generator (HRVH), condenser, reservoirs, and piping. Based on the validated computational platform, the benefits on the ORC plant net power output and efficiency of either a variable permeability expander or of sliding vane rotary pump optimization are assessed. The novelty introduced by this optimization strategy is that the evaluations are conducted by a numerical model, which reproduces the real features of the ORC plant. This approach ensures an analysis of the whole system both from a plant and cycle point of view, catching some real aspects that are otherwise undetectable. These optimization strategies are considered as a baseline ORC plant that suffers low expander efficiency (30%) and a large parasitic pumping power, with a backwork ratio (BWR) of up to 60%. It is found that the benefits on the expander power arising from a lower permeability combined with a lower energy demand by the pump (20% of BWR) for circulation of the working fluid allows a better recovery performance for the ORC plant with respect to the baseline case. Adopting the optimization strategies, the average efficiency and maximum generated power increase from 1.5% to 3.5% and from 400 to 1100 W, respectively. These performances are in accordance with the plant efficiencies found in the experimental works in the literature, which vary between 1.6% and 6.5% for similar applications. Nonetheless, there is still room for improvement regarding a proper design of rotary machines, which can be redesigned considering the indications resulting from the developed optimization analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines)

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27 pages, 10643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Organic Rankine Cycle Waste Heat Recovery for Passenger Hybrid Electric Vehicles

by Wan Rashidi Bin Wan Ramli, Apostolos Pesyridis, Dhrumil Gohil and Fuhaid Alshammari

Energies 2020, 13(17), 4532; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13174532 - 01 Sep 2020

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3691

Abstract

Electrification of road transport is a major step to solve the air quality problem and general environmental impact caused by the still widespread use of fossil fuels. At the same time, energy efficiency in the transport sector must be improved as a steppingstone towards a more sustainable future. Multiple waste heat recovery technologies are being investigated for low-temperature waste heat recovery. One of the technologies that is being considered for vehicle application is the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). In this paper, the potential of ORC is discussed in detail for hybrid vehicle application. The modelling and testing of multiple systems such as the hybrid vehicle, engine, and ORC waste heat recovery are performed using the computational approach in GT-SUITE software environment correlated against available engine data. It was found that the maximum cycle efficiency achieved from the ORC system was 5.4% with 2.02 kW of delivered power recovered from the waste heat available. This led to 1.0% and 1.2% of fuel economy improvement in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) and Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) driving cycle test, respectively. From the driving cycle analysis, Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and ORC are operative in a different part of the driving cycle. This is because the entire propulsion power is provided by the HEV system, resulting in less engine operation in some part of the cycle for the ORC system to function. Apart from that, a brief economic analysis of ORC Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) is also performed in this paper and a comparative analysis is carried out for different waste heat recovery technologies for hybrid vehicle application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines)

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23 pages, 4186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Validation of a New Modeling for the Design Optimization of a Sliding Vane Rotary Expander Operating in an ORC-Based Power Unit

by Fabio Fatigati, Marco Di Bartolomeo, Davide Di Battista and Roberto Cipollone

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4204; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13164204 - 14 Aug 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1968

Abstract

Sliding Rotary Vane Expanders (SVRE) are often employed in Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based power units for Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) in Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) due to their operating flexibility, robustness, and low manufacturing cost. In spite of the interest toward these promising machines, in literature, there is a lack of knowledge referable to the design and the optimization of SVRE: these machines are often rearranged reversing the operational behavior when they operate as compressors, resulting in low efficiencies and difficulty to manage off-design conditions, which are typical in ORC-based power units for WHR in ICE. In this paper, the authors presented a new model of the machine, which, thanks to some specific simplifications, can be used recursively to optimize the design. The model was characterized by a good level of physical representation and also by an acceptable computational time. Despite its simplicity, the model integrated a good capability to reproduce volumetric and mechanical efficiencies. The validation of the model was done using a wide experimental campaign conducted on a 1.5 kW SVRE operated on an ORC-based power unit fed by the exhaust gases of a 3 L supercharged diesel engine. Once validated, a design optimization was run, allowing to find the best solution between two “extreme” designs: a “disk-shaped”—increasing the external diameter of the machine and reducing axial length—and by a “finger-shaped” machine. The predictions of this new model were finally compared with a more complex numerical model, showing good agreement and opening the way to its use as a model-based control tool. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines)

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15 pages, 3206 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Use of Stirling Engine for Waste Heat Recovery

by Peter Durcansky, Radovan Nosek and Jozef Jandacka

Energies 2020, 13(16), 4133; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13164133 - 10 Aug 2020

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4308

Abstract

Even though this discovery dates back to 1816, the greatest advancement in technology and understanding of Stirling-cycle devices has occurred in the last 50 years. Although their mass production is currently limited to special-purpose machines, its prospective use is in combination with renewable sources and indicates a potential for commercial purposes. The lack of commercial success, despite obvious advantages, is probably due to a lack of appropriate modeling techniques and theoretical predictions of what these devices can achieve. Nowadays the Stirling engine has found its use mainly in solar power plants, where it represents the only piston engine converting solar energy into mechanical and then electricity with relatively high efficiency. The Stirling engine also appears to be suitable for recovering waste heat, especially in heavy industry. The numerical model was adapted for the existing Cleanergy Stirling engine, to evaluate the possibilities of this one engine for waste heat recovery. This paper also deals with application options and individual parameters that affect the efficiency of this Stirling engine for waste heat recovery. The analysis showed that this kind of engine is capable of recovering and utilizing heat above 300 °C, which determines its possible use with solar energy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines)

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Review

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28 pages, 2798 KiB

Open AccessReview

Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines for Transportation

by Davide Di Battista and Roberto Cipollone

Energies 2023, 16(8), 3503; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16083503 - 18 Apr 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2381

Abstract

Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) are experiencing a transition era in which research and innovation are mainly pushed by environmental issues: emission reduction and fuel saving are indispensable requirements of the new technologies, otherwise the end of ICE is proposed in Europe. Modifications, in reality, are under discussion by 2026 but the environmental issues are anyway welcomed. In the transportation sector, today dominated by ICEs, it appears that the reduction in the propulsion power, hybridization at various degrees, and exhaust post-treatment improvements will guarantee technological solutions able to support the transition in the next couple of decades toward full electric propulsion. Waste Heat Recovery (WHR) is a very interesting opportunity since almost two-thirds of fuel energy is not converted into mechanically useful energy. Moreover, the integration with other thermal streams on board (cooling and lubricating mediums, EGR cooling) can add further value to the recovery opportunity as well as the concept of managing the engine thermal management which can produce a sensible contribution that is appreciated mainly during urban driving. A huge scientific effort is underway, and a great expectation is perceptible. More generally, the technological options that can achieve a reduction in overall fuel consumption and, thus, the improvement of global engine efficiency, are the most valuable when they can be introduced without massive changes to the engine layout. This happens in all the energy applications in which ICEs are involved since the recovery unit can be introduced in the exhaust line. The mechanical energy recovered can be easily transformed into electrical energy, so represents an interesting integration with the hybrid propulsion powertrains. In this paper, a review of the most important technologies referred to the WHR is presented, outlining advantages and drawbacks, and setting up the presently available technologies referred to the transportation sector. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines)

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24 pages, 2930 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review on Energy Efficiency Progresses, Technologies and Strategies in the Ceramic Sector Focusing on Waste Heat Recovery

by Miguel Castro Oliveira, Muriel Iten, Pedro L. Cruz and Helena Monteiro

Energies 2020, 13(22), 6096; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13226096 - 20 Nov 2020

Cited by 36 | Viewed by 7013

Abstract

Thermal processes represent a considerable part of the total energy consumption in manufacturing industry, in sectors such as steel, aluminium, cement, ceramic and glass, among others. It can even be the predominant type of energy consumption in some sectors. High thermal energy processes are mostly associated to high thermal losses, (commonly denominated as waste heat), reinforcing the need for waste heat recovery (WHR) strategies. WHR has therefore been identified as a relevant solution to increase energy efficiency in industrial thermal applications, namely in energy intensive consumers. The ceramic sector is a clear example within the manufacturing industry mainly due to the fuel consumption required for the following processes: firing, drying and spray drying. This paper reviews studies on energy efficiency improvement measures including WHR practices applied to the ceramic sector. This focuses on technologies and strategies which have significant potential to promote energy savings and carbon emissions reduction. The measures have been grouped into three main categories: (i) equipment level; (ii) plant level; and (iii) outer plant level. Some examples include: (i) high efficiency burners; (ii) hot air recycling from kilns to other processes and installation of heat exchangers; and (iii) installation of gas turbine for combined heat and power (CHP). It is observed that energy efficiency solutions allow savings up to 50–60% in the case of high efficiency burners; 15% energy savings for hot air recycling solutions and 30% in the when gas turbines are considered for CHP. Limitations to the implementation of some measures have been identified such as the high investment costs associated, for instance, with certain heat exchangers as well as the corrosive nature of certain available exhaust heat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Waste Energy Recovery and Valorization in Internal Combustion Engines)

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