A Simple Method of Finding New Dry and Isentropic Working Fluids for Organic Rankine Cycle

Gábor Györke, Axel Groniewsky and Attila R. Imre
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Gábor Györke: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Energy Engineering, Muegyetem rkp. 3, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
Axel Groniewsky: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Energy Engineering, Muegyetem rkp. 3, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
Attila R. Imre: Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Department of Energy Engineering, Muegyetem rkp. 3, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-11

Abstract: One of the most crucial challenges of sustainable development is the use of low-temperature heat sources (60–200 °C), such as thermal solar, geothermal, biomass, or waste heat, for electricity production. Since conventional water-based thermodynamic cycles are not suitable in this temperature range or at least operate with very low efficiency, other working fluids need to be applied. Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) uses organic working fluids, which results in higher thermal efficiency for low-temperature heat sources. Traditionally, new working fluids are found using a trial-and-error procedure through experience among chemically similar materials. This approach, however, carries a high risk of excluding the ideal working fluid. Therefore, a new method and a simple rule of thumb—based on a correlation related to molar isochoric specific heat capacity of saturated vapor states—were developed. With the application of this thumb rule, novel isentropic and dry working fluids can be found applicable for given low-temperature heat sources. Additionally, the importance of molar quantities—usually ignored by energy engineers—was demonstrated.

Keywords: ORC; saturated vapor curve; T–s diagram; isentropic expansion; low-temperature heat sources; droplet formation; isochoric heat capacity; molar quantities; characteristic points (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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