What are the parameters for an Organic Rankine Cycle waste heat recovery system?

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheBigBiscuit
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Heat
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the parameters necessary for modeling a waste heat recovery system using an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), specifically focusing on the exhaust gas from a natural gas engine. Participants explore the exhaust gas temperature and specific heat as critical factors in the design of the system.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions exhaust gas temperatures of approximately 1000 Kelvin for a 1.5 MW MAN gas powered engine and specific heat values ranging from 1 to 1.3 kJ/kgK, expressing a need for more reliable references.
  • Another participant suggests checking the composition of the exhaust gas and calculating the heat capacity based on its constituents, noting that H2O will increase the heat capacity compared to N2.
  • A different participant proposes that a temperature range of 450 to 550 degrees Celsius with a specific heat of 1.1 kJ/kg.K could be a good starting point for a lean burn engine.
  • One participant introduces a biological analogy, suggesting that the countercurrent heat exchanger found in birds could provide insights into heat recovery processes applicable to the ORC system.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present varying estimates for exhaust gas temperatures and specific heat, indicating that multiple competing views remain regarding the parameters for the ORC system. The discussion does not reach a consensus on specific values or methods.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations regarding the reliability of the sources for exhaust gas parameters, and the discussion highlights the need for concrete references. The assumptions about the exhaust gas composition and its impact on heat capacity are also not fully resolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students and professionals interested in waste heat recovery systems, particularly those working with Organic Rankine Cycles and natural gas engines.

TheBigBiscuit
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Hello, I'm new to these forums and hoping I can get some help with a project I'm undertaking in college. The project is to model a waste heat recovery system using an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). What I'm currently looking at is my waste heat source (exhaust gas from a natural gas engine). The parameters I'm considered with at present are the exhaust gas temperature and the specific heat of the exhaust gas.
Searching these parameters on the internet provisionally, I seem to be getting exhaust gas temperatures of approximately 1000 Kelvin for a 1.5 MW MAN gas powered engine, and specific heat seems to be between 1 - 1.3 kJ/kgK.
However these sources aren't as reliable as I'd like (not that they aren't accurate, but I'd like a bit more concrete proof or references if that's possible).
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I haven't looked at the gas engine side of the project in more detail as it's only the exhaust port of this that concerns the ORC, so it's likely I'm going about it the wrong way.
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
You can perfectly check the composition of the exhaust gas and add the heat capacity of the constituents. H2O will increase it over N2. In the maximum case, all O2 burns CH4.
 
450 to 550 deg C, with a Cp of 1.1 kJ/kg.K in the stack would be a good starting point for a lean burn engine.
 
TheBigBiscuit, Welcome to Physics Forums!

There may be a process in nature that might apply to your project. May I suggest that you have a look at how birds in frigid climates use a countercurrent heat exchanger between blood vessels in their legs to keep heat concentrated within their bodies? You may be surprised to discover how often some variation of this process is used by modern industry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countercurrent_exchange

Cheers,
Bobbywhy
 
Thanks for taking time to reply. It's given me some food for thought. I may need to get back to ye at some point but thanks very much for this base.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
18
Views
4K
Replies
18
Views
5K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
5K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
4K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Replies
12
Views
11K