Pre-assessment of a low-temperature geothermal and solar ORC system for power co-generation: the Effi low res approach

摘要

Under the auspices of Effi low res project an ORC power generation unit working at low temperatures with improved overall efficiency will be developed. The performance of the ORC unit that will exploit low temperature energy sources (solar and geothermal) will be optimized so as to make it cost effective. The research focuses on the preliminary design of the ORC apparatus giving technical specifications that comprises working fluid selection, sizing of solar plant, heat exchangers and expanders and other auxiliary equipment. Modeling techniques have been applied to study the performance of refrigerants selected for the specific application so as to justify the selection of the most suitable refrigerant for process optimization. As it is shown R134a as a working fluid is an optimal solution based on the balance of three factors studied: required amount of heat, mass flow rate and cost.