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Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2020) | Viewed by 21891

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Attila R. Imre

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Energy Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: thermodynamics; energy engineering; supercritical and metastable states; energy storage and conversion; geothermal and waste heat utilization; phase equilibria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

During the last few decades, power generation from low-temperature heat sources (below 300 ℃) like thermal solar, geothermal, biomass, or waste heat has become more and more significant. Since the traditional Rankine cycle using water as working fluid cannot be used with sufficient efficiency at low temperatures, the need to find novel working fluids for organic Rankine cycles or for similar, less frequently used, thermodynamic cycles (like Trilateral Flash Cycles) has become a priority.

Traditionally, the working fluid for a given ORC process is selected using a trial-and-error procedure through experience from chemically similar materials. This way, however, one might risk excluding novel, previously unused, working fluids, which could be more suitable for the given heat source than any of the traditional ones. In this Special Issue, more sophisticated methods will be presented, using optimization models, thermodynamic analyses, equation-of-state parameters, and molecular properties. The aim is to present a reliable source for researchers and innovators/developers working on ORC-related fields to help them to find the proper working fluid for any given heat source.

Prof. Attila R. Imre
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Thermodynamic cycles
  • Low-temperature heat sources
  • Working fluids
  • Efficiency

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2438 KiB  
Article
Mapping of the Temperature–Entropy Diagrams of van der Waals Fluids
by Attila R. Imre, Réka Kustán and Axel Groniewsky
Energies 2020, 13(6), 1519; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13061519 - 23 Mar 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2538
Abstract
The shape of the temperature vs. specific entropy diagram of a working fluid is very important to understanding the behavior of fluid during the expansion phase of the organic Rankine cycle or similar processes. Traditional wet-dry-isentropic classifications of these materials are not sufficient; [...] Read more.
The shape of the temperature vs. specific entropy diagram of a working fluid is very important to understanding the behavior of fluid during the expansion phase of the organic Rankine cycle or similar processes. Traditional wet-dry-isentropic classifications of these materials are not sufficient; several materials remain unclassified or misclassified, while materials listed in the same class might show crucial differences. A novel classification, based on the characteristic points of the T–s diagrams was introduced recently, listing eight different classes. In this paper, we present a map of these classes for a model material, namely, the van der Waals fluid in reduced temperature (i.e., reduced molecular degree of freedom) space; the latter quantity is related to the molar isochoric specific heat. Although van der Waals fluid cannot be used to predict material properties quantitatively, the model gives a very good and proper qualitative description. Using this map, some peculiarities related to T–s diagrams of working fluids can be understood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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20 pages, 4330 KiB  
Article
Zeotropic Mixture Selection for an Organic Rankine Cycle Using a Single Screw Expander
by Xinxin Zhang, Yin Zhang, Zhenlei Li, Jingfu Wang, Yuting Wu and Chongfang Ma
Energies 2020, 13(5), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13051022 - 25 Feb 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2742
Abstract
The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a popular and promising technology that has been widely studied and adopted in renewable and sustainable energy utilization and low-grade waste heat recovery. The use of zeotropic mixtures in ORC has been attracting more and more attention [...] Read more.
The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a popular and promising technology that has been widely studied and adopted in renewable and sustainable energy utilization and low-grade waste heat recovery. The use of zeotropic mixtures in ORC has been attracting more and more attention because of the possibility to match the temperature profile of the heat source by non-isothermal phase change, which reduces the irreversibility in the evaporator and the condenser. The selection of working fluid and expander is strongly interconnected. As a novel expander, a single screw expander was selected and used in this paper for efficient utilization of the wet zeotropic mixtures listed in REFPROP 9.1 in a low-temperature subcritical ORC system. Five indicators, namely net work, thermal efficiency, heat exchange load of condenser, temperature glide in evaporator, and temperature glide in condenser, were used to analyze the performance of an ORC system with wet and isentropic zeotropic mixtures as working fluids. The calculation and analysis results indicate that R441A with an expander outlet temperature of 320 K may be the suitable zeotropic mixture used for both open and close type heat source. R436B may be selected with an expander outlet temperature of 315 K. R432A may be selected with an expander outlet temperature from 295 K to 310 K. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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28 pages, 7775 KiB  
Article
The Method of the Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Systems Employing Volumetric Expanders
by Piotr Kolasiński
Energies 2020, 13(3), 573; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13030573 - 24 Jan 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3441
Abstract
The working fluid selection is one of the most important issues faced when designing Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems. The choice of working fluid is dictated by different criteria. The most important of them are safety of use, impact on the environment, and [...] Read more.
The working fluid selection is one of the most important issues faced when designing Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems. The choice of working fluid is dictated by different criteria. The most important of them are safety of use, impact on the environment, and physical and chemical parameters. The type of ORC system in which the working fluid is to be used and the type of expander applied in this system is also affecting the working fluid selection. Nowadays, volumetric expanders are increasingly used in ORC systems. In the case of volumetric expanders, in addition to the aforementioned working fluid selection criteria, additional parameters are considered during the selecting of the working fluid, such as the range of operating pressures and geometric dimensions (determining the volume of working chambers) affecting the achieved power and efficiency of the expander. This article presents a method of selecting a working medium for ORC systems using volumetric expanders. This method is based on the dimensionless rating parameters applied for the comparative analysis of different working fluids. Dimensionless parameters were defined for selected thermal properties of the working fluids, namely thermal capacity, mean temperature of evaporation, mean temperature of condensation, pressure and volumetric expansion ratio, volumetric expandability, as well as the heat of preheating, vaporization, superheating, cooling, and liquefaction. Moreover, isentropic expansion work was considered as the rating parameter. In this article, in addition to the working fluid selection method, computational examples related to the selection of the working fluid for the ORC system fed by a heat source featuring specified temperatures are presented. The results of calculations of rating parameters and their comparison gave an outlook on the selection of appropriate working fluids. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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17 pages, 2395 KiB  
Article
Pure and Hydrocarbon Binary Mixtures as Possible Alternatives Working Fluids to the Usual Organic Rankine Cycles Biomass Conversion Systems
by Costante M. Invernizzi, Abubakr Ayub, Gioele Di Marcoberardino and Paolo Iora
Energies 2019, 12(21), 4140; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214140 - 30 Oct 2019
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 2640
Abstract
This study investigates the use of pure and hydrocarbons binary mixtures as potential alternatives working fluids in a usual biomass powered organic Rankine cycle (ORC). A typical biomass combined heat and power plant installed in Cremona (Italy) is considered as the benchmark. Eight [...] Read more.
This study investigates the use of pure and hydrocarbons binary mixtures as potential alternatives working fluids in a usual biomass powered organic Rankine cycle (ORC). A typical biomass combined heat and power plant installed in Cremona (Italy) is considered as the benchmark. Eight pure hydrocarbons (linear and cyclic) and four binary mixtures of linear hydrocarbons were selected. The critical points of the binary mixtures at different composition were calculated using an in-house code developed in MATLAB© (R2018b) environment. Based on the critical point of a working fluid, supercritical and subcritical cycle configurations of ORC were analysed. A detailed thermodynamic comparison with benchmark cycle was carried out in view of cycle efficiency, maximum operating pressure, size of the turbine and heat exchangers. The supercritical cycles showed 0.02 to 0.03 points lower efficiency, whereas, subcritical cycles showed comparable efficiencies than that of the benchmark cycle. The cycles operating with hydrocarbons (pure and mixtures) exhibited considerably lower volume flow ratios in turbine which indicates lower turbine size. Also, size parameter of regenerator is comparatively lower due to the lower molecular complexity of the hydrocarbons. A noticeable increase in turbine power output was observed with change in composition of the iso-octane/n-octane binary mixture at the same thermodynamic efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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14 pages, 729 KiB  
Article
Approximating the Temperature–Entropy Saturation Curve of ORC Working Fluids From the Ideal Gas Isobaric Heat Capacity
by Juan A. White and Santiago Velasco
Energies 2019, 12(17), 3266; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12173266 - 24 Aug 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2573
Abstract
Recently, we proposed an approximate expression for the liquid–vapor saturation curves of pure fluids in a temperature–entropy diagram that requires the use of parameters related to the molar heat capacity along the vapor branch of the saturation curve. In the present work, we [...] Read more.
Recently, we proposed an approximate expression for the liquid–vapor saturation curves of pure fluids in a temperature–entropy diagram that requires the use of parameters related to the molar heat capacity along the vapor branch of the saturation curve. In the present work, we establish a connection between these parameters and the ideal-gas isobaric molar heat capacity. The resulting new approximation yields good results for most working fluids in Organic Rankine Cycles, improving the previous approximation for very dry fluids. The ideal-gas isobaric molar heat capacity can be obtained from most Thermophysical Properties databases for a very large number of substances for which the present approximation scheme can be applied. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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23 pages, 3393 KiB  
Article
Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle Using Single-Screw Expander
by Xinxin Zhang, Yin Zhang, Min Cao, Jingfu Wang, Yuting Wu and Chongfang Ma
Energies 2019, 12(16), 3197; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12163197 - 20 Aug 2019
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3285
Abstract
The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a popular technology used in waste heat recovery and medium-low-temperature heat utilization. Working fluid plays a very important role in ORC. The selection of working fluid can greatly affect the efficiency, the operation condition, the impact on [...] Read more.
The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a popular technology used in waste heat recovery and medium-low-temperature heat utilization. Working fluid plays a very important role in ORC. The selection of working fluid can greatly affect the efficiency, the operation condition, the impact on the environment, and the economic feasibility of ORC. The expander is a key device in ORC. As a novel expander, single-screw expanders have been becoming a research focus in the above two areas because of their many good characteristics. One of the advantages of single-screw configurations is that they can conduct a vapor–liquid two-phase expansion. Therefore, in order to give full play to this advantage, a working fluid selection for ORC using a single-screw expander was conducted in this paper. Three indicators, namely, net work output, thermal efficiency, and heat exchange load of condenser, were used to analyze the performance of an ORC system. Through calculation and analysis, it can be seen that an ORC system that uses a single-screw expander and undergoes a vapor–liquid two-phase expansion is able to obtain a higher thermal efficiency, higher net work output, and a smaller heat exchange load of the condenser. Regardless of whether isentropic efficiency of the expander is considered or not, cis-butene may be the best candidate for working in subcritical cycles. HFO working fluids are more suitable for working in transcritical cycles, and HFO-1234ze(E) may be the best. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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15 pages, 3678 KiB  
Article
Thermodynamic Selection of the Optimal Working Fluid for Organic Rankine Cycles
by Attila R. Imre, Réka Kustán and Axel Groniewsky
Energies 2019, 12(10), 2028; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12102028 - 27 May 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3981
Abstract
A novel method proposed to choose the optimal working fluid—solely from the point of view of expansion route—for a given heat source and heat sink (characterized by a maximum and minimum temperature). The basis of this method is the novel classification of working [...] Read more.
A novel method proposed to choose the optimal working fluid—solely from the point of view of expansion route—for a given heat source and heat sink (characterized by a maximum and minimum temperature). The basis of this method is the novel classification of working fluids using the sequences of their characteristic points on temperature-entropy space. The most suitable existing working fluid can be selected, where an ideal adiabatic (isentropic) expansion step between a given upper and lower temperature is possible in a way, that the initial and final states are both saturated vapour states and the ideal (isentropic) expansion line runs in the superheated (dry) vapour region all along the expansion. Problems related to the presence of droplets or superheated dry steam in the final expansion state can be avoided or minimized by using the working fluid chosen with this method. Results obtained with real materials are compared with those gained with model (van der Waals) fluids; based on the results obtained with model fluids, erroneous experimental data-sets can be pinpointed. Since most of the known working fluids have optimal expansion routes at low temperatures, presently the method is most suitable to choose working fluids for cryogenic cycles, applied for example for heat recovery during LNG-regasification. Some of the materials, however, can be applied in ranges located at relatively higher temperatures, therefore the method can also be applied in some limited manner for the utilization of other low temperature heat sources (like geothermal or waste heat) as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Working Fluid Selection for Organic Rankine Cycle and Other Related Cycles)
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