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Solar Power system of small size (up to 200 kW) coupled with Organic Rankine Cycle

Summary

Our client, The DII (DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING), is developing a Concentrated Solar Power system of small size (up to 200 kW) coupled with Organic Rankine Cycle. This CSP+ORC Plant is designed to obtain an electrical Output from solar power collected in the concentrator. The choice of Organic Rankine cycle for the electrical energy production, is made stands the particular thermodynamic properties of the fluid. With this kind of fluids, in fact, we could obtain an interesting efficiency with a compact and easy-made plant. The type of plant that we design is made by a Parabolic through collector, and a system based on the ORC. This ORC system seems to be very small for what concern the chosen electrical power output of 20 kWe. In general our approach is not only focused on CSP+ORC, we also made several studies to increase efficiency of the stand-alone ORC plant. In this way we could obtain electric power from any other heat source, so not only from the CSP.
Furthermore the ORC engine has been designed to recover waste heat from the industrial processes. As been developed an ORC engine working with fluid at low and medium enthalpy. It works with heat from geothermal source, biomass, and gasification.
We could highlight that small size ORC plant is suitable for several applications:
• Food Industry: These companies (agriculture, livestock and fisheries transformation)
generally produce low-temperature waste heat (ovens).
• Farms: Their main activity is the cultivation of the soil, forestry and animal husbandry. A portion of electric power requirement could be covered by the employment of biogas derived from the sewage livestock.
• Building Companies: These pay a special attention to the production cycle efficiency.
• Metallurgical Industry: the production cycle is characterized by a series of processes where heat sources are commonly used (furnaces and blast furnaces).
• Tertiary (Theatres, Hotels, Leisure Centers, etc.): In this field, the objective is focused on the research of proper solutions able to guarantee the energy independency from the grid.
• Naval Transport: Most of ships or ferries are equipped by a large size engine, which releases in the environment at least the 30% of the fuel energy through the exhaust gas. An ORC system gives the opportunity to fulfil the electric requirement without additional fuel expense.
• Road and Railway Transport: Light (passenger cars) and heavy (trucks) vehicles release more than 70 % of the fuel energy through exhaust gas, cooling water and lubricating oil. A partial recovery of the wasted heat should satisfy the electrical requirements for the engine auxiliaries (oil and water pump, air conditioning, etc.). The energy economy can be further improved if the ORC system is installed on an hybrid vehicle.
• Furniture manufacturer and wood industry: their production cycles usually require a large amount of thermal and electrical energy. This requirement may be satisfied by the employment of the heat derived from the combustion of biomass (wood waste).
The real risk for this technology could only be the insufficient research for the most efficiency working fluid. If the thermodynamic analysis and the plant design will be not thorough enough, the risk will be low global electric efficiency and high design and production costs. So it’s fundamental for our research a collaboration with an expert business and production realty.

Detailed Technology Description

The project follows a synergic use of experimental and numerical approaches. In particular, the experimental activity is employed to validate the models of the whole system and of its components. Different methodologies are:
• Experimental techniques
• Thermodynamic models
• 1D simulations
• 3D CFD simulations
• 3D CAD design
• Multi-objective multi-variable optimizer
• Method for the optimal expander choice

Type of Cooperation

技术售让

Coverage Areas

Energy and Environmental Protection

Goods and Services

Others