Investigating a Small Oil-Flooded Twin-Screw Expander for Waste-Heat Utilisation in Organic Rankine Cycle Systems

Alexander Nikolov and Andreas Brümmer
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Alexander Nikolov: Chair of Fluidics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
Andreas Brümmer: Chair of Fluidics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 7, 1-27

Abstract: Screw-type expanders offer excellent prospects for energy conversion in lower and medium power ranges, for instance as expansion engines in Rankine cycles with regard to either waste or geothermal heat recovery. With the aim of identifying the potential in organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power systems, an oil-flooded twin-screw expander without timing gears was designed and experimentally investigated in an ORC with R245fa as working fluid. Here, the scope for the experimental determination of the expander characteristic map was limited by the test rig specifications. Based on the experimental results, a multi-chamber model of the test twin-screw expander was calibrated and theoretical approaches according to mechanical and hydraulic loss calculation were applied. Consequently, the expander’s complete characteristic map could be calculated. Furthermore, relevant mechanisms influencing the operational behaviour of oil-flooded twin-screw expanders were identified and analysed in-depth.

Keywords: small oil-flooded twin-screw expander; low-grade waste-heat recovery; organic Rankine cycle power system; R245fa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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