Organic Rankine Cycles

Low Temperature Power cycles

KTH December 2 2014: Henrik hman

Backlog
William John Macquorn
Rankine
1820-1872
Collaborated with
Clausius and Kelvin
Manual of the Steam
Engine and Other Prime
Movers, (1859)
Conventional Rankine Cycle Basics

The goal is to find a fluid better

suited for low-temperature heat
sources (such as waste heat,
geothermal, etc.) and often also
smaller scales, than typical
water-steam power applications
 Cycle components
Turbine

Heat source

Heat absorber
Fluid pump
Heat rejector

Work

Heat sink
 Why Organic?
At first, the suggested alternative working fluids were actually organic compounds,
thus the ORC denomination, however, recently some more sophisticated inorganic
substances have taken over as good working fluids for low-temperature applications.

In reality: Any-but-water Rankine Cycle

More dimensions of freedom

=> Better adaptation to environments
=> Access to other sources of energy
 Dimensions of freedom; expansion
Many turbine technologies
are available
Expanders commonly used in ORC's
P1/P2
25

20

Dynamic
15
Piston
Lysholm
10 Scroll

0 Development and Performance Analysis of a Two

1 10 100 1000 kWe Cylinder Rolling Piston Expander for Transcritical
CO2 System, Yang et al, 2006
Dimensions of freedom; Heat
exchangers
 Dimensions of freedom; Heat
exchangers
Heat exchanger choices are
Critical !
but highly complex
 Dimensions of freedom; cost
Well developed industrial infrastructure for high volume
manufacturing of vital parts, which can be shared with
ORC systems:
Refrigeration industry
Airconditioning industry
Heat pump industry
Process gas industry
These are larger than the steam industry
Less consolidated market => wider variation and more
opportunities than the large-scale steam power industry
 Dimensions of freedom; cycles
Thermodynamic cycle variations to match
heat source and heat sink finiteness in each
application

B
H
E G
D
C F
A
 Dimensions of freedom; fluids
Hundreds of single molecule fluids are possible
Choice of fluids also in various mixtures
Mixing ratios
Zeotropic/Non-zeotropic mixes
Stability over time ?
Safety and degradation complex compatibility ?
Separation or undesired stratification ?
Customer acceptance ?
 Adaptation to new heat sources
Smaller scale technology
Accept large variation in operating conditions
Short cycle times (intermittent)
 Sustainability of fluids?
Vapour pressure of fluids

Good reference 105 fluids: Namal Joumal Comparative studies and analysis of
working fluids for Organic Rankine Cycles-ORC Masters thesis, KTH, 2012
 Suistanability of fluids?
Different fluids match temperatues,
equipment and investment case
Operating fluid Global Safety Cost/kg relative
Warming Class to NH3 (Sept-
Potential 2011)

NH3 0 B2 1

R134a 1300 A1 8.4

R236fa 9400 A1 42.9

R245fa 950 B1 25.2

R407c 1650 A1 5.3

R410a 1980 A1 5.9

Misconceptions are common due to simplifications
(example)

???
This comparison is totally
misleading unless proper
accounting for the level of
temperature of heat source is
given, for example via the
exergetic efficiency
Available ORC products
Are ORCs new?

Rumour goes that Carnot himself has

been experimenting with organic fluids
200 years ago

ORC engines for cars have been

suggested and tested in the 1970-ies

The largest heat exchanger would be the

condenser, here shown at the roof of the
car (left) or below the floor (above)
Sample 1

Infinity ORC Turbine

3,8 x 4 meter front
10 kWe
~0.7kW/m3 (nom)
Sample 2

Opcon Marine (utilising the

waste heat from a ship engine)
11 x 3,5 x 3 meter
37 tonnes
775 kWe
7kW/m3 (nom)
 Large Size Little Power
BarberNichols: 380kW
GE: 3MW

Pratt&Whitney: 275kW
Ormat: 350kW
 Applications (Waste heat)
IC-engines (Cylinder cooling, charge air
cooling, exhaust gas cooling)
+20% efficiency (10% profitably)
Process waste heat (Paper, Metallurgic, Textile,
Cement, etc)
5-10% thermal efficiency
CHP
Huge surplus of district heat 8 months/year
 Applications (Prime heat)
CHP
Replacing Rankine cycles in <5MWe plants
Solar heat powered ORC
5MWe to 1kWe plants
Geothermal heat powered ORC
Up to 15MWe multiple unit plants
ORCs highly sensitive to cooling

Jacket Cooling Scav air cooling

Basic understanding of LTPCs
 T1
Thermodynamics 1
HEAT SOURCE Thermal Efficiency Carnot Efficiency

W T2
W th = C = 1
Q2 Q1 T1
HEAT SINK
But:
T2
Local
Carnot
T2 exit T2 entry
Efficiency

50%
A
T2,local [C]
0
T1exit T1entry
40% 20
40
30%
60
20% 80
100
10%
B
0%
300 280 260 240 220 200 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0
T1,local [C]
On thermal efficiency

What is (1 th ) ?
A. Efficiency?
B. Losses?
C. Free energy?
D. Something else?
 Thermodynamics 2
Integrated Local Carnot efficiency

T2,l
c , Il = c ,l dQ1 = 1 dQ1

Q1 Q1
T1,l

1 n
c , Il = c ,l (i )
n i =1

Now you know the potentially available work using finite heat
source and finite heat sink in a power cycle!

H. hman, P. Lundqvist / Applied Thermal Engineering 37 (2012) 44-50

 Thermodynamics 3
1st law restriction
Irreversibilities

We = Q1 c , Il FoC Real Power Out

2nd law restriction
Where
th
FoC = Fraction of Carnot
c , Il
and

th = We Q1 Thermal efficiency
Thermodynamic potential for an LTPC
application
c,Il
Its important to optimise
for highest specific work
output and maximum
use of available heat
source, rather than for
best local efficiency
W e
T1exit

T 2exit
Utilisation
U = Q1 Q1,ca

Q1,ca Q 1
 Simplified assessment
What if I know a source and a sink, but not
what technology to use?

Use a simplified assessment

Practical Engineering rather than science!
 Real performance of LTPCs
1.0
Market
0.9 Quotes
0.8 Technical

0.7 Science

Yamada
0.6
Technical Qui
0.5

0.4
Market
0.3
Scientific
0.2

0.1

0.0
0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0

ORC, Kalina, Hybrids / 0,5kWe - 3MWe / different fluids / T1 from 55 - 300 degC

hman. H, Lundqvist. P, Comparison and analysis of performance using Low Temperature Power Cycles, Applied Thermal Engineering, 2013
 Quick estimate on power potential?
Source and sink Thermodynamics
c,Il

1 = Tsource Q1 (Similar for Sink)

rat = 2 1 W e
T1exit

T 2exit

Q1,ca Q 1

Simplified work equation for T2/T1 >0.7

Q CA = (T1 TCA ) 1
W NPO = Q CA spec ,a ( U ) Trat + Trat rat
TCA = T1
1 + Trat rat

hman. H, Lundqvist. P, Thermodynamic pre-determination of power generation potential in geothermal low-temperature applications,
Geothermal Energy, 2014
 spec,a
 74.000 tonnes LCTC Figaro

230 meter
8000 cars
13 stories
 System Integration Example
m/v Figaro 74.000 ton LCTC
19MW 2-stroke diesel engine
Operating load 2-16 MWshaft
Multiple waste heat sources
Variable waste heat source temperature and
flow
Potential WHR improvement: 17%
Economic improvement 6-8%
Waste heat recovery Ship engine

Fuel savings of 5 10%

Shaft power Electric power
50% 2-4% 3-6%

Steam Rankine
25%

14% ORC
Cooling water

6%

4%

1%
 Sample system layout
Saturated RANKINE
steam, 8 bar a Dump valve
G OPB-WST Genset

Boiler
onboard
heat Atmospheric
loads Condenser
8 bar abs
Electric power to
main switchboard

ORC
Exhaust gas
LT Cooling
economizer
G

Jacket cooling

OPBORC Main
equipment

Main Scavenging (charge air) cooling

Engine
 Profitability
Value of electric energy: 0,035 0,3 Euro/kWh
Typical ORC unit cost : 1000-2000Euro/kWe
PayOff:

Best: 1000 / 0,3 = 3.300 hours

Worst: 2000 / 0,035 = 57.000 hours

 Dos and Donts with ORC

Dos: Donts:
Investment case Technology
System integration Cycle type
Good enough Endless Optimization
Standardize Customize
Maximize the Maximize the specific
Running Hours cycle Efficiency
 Thank you !
Henrik hman
Atlas Copco
+46 70 6518085
henrik.ohman@se.atlascopco.com