Rankine System for Heat Recovery: an Interesting Way to Reduce Fuel Consumption

摘要

Rankine cycle is one of the possible means to recover some heat loss aboard an automobile. IFPEN is currently testing a prototype Rankine system that has been sized for a 1.4 L gasoline engine. Water is used as working fluid. Steam pressure is about 2 MPa. Steam is expanded in a swash-plate piston machine. The experimental results show a production of Rankine power of about 1 kW mechanical output for engine running conditions corresponding to highway traffic. A detailed balance of energy transfer and energy conversion by the Rankine system is presented in the paper. Due to customer real driving mission profiles, it seems today difficult to make a Rankine system profitable for a wide range of automobile applications with existing technologies. Moreover, the car architecture will have to be deeply adapted in order to make possible the reuse of the energy produced by the Rankine system. That is why IFPEN is also considering other applications. An experimental work as been realised for a truck and a new project has started for a Diesel electric train.