The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a power generating technology that can enable the utilization of waste heat to generate electric power from different sources, including geothermal hot springs, other power generating technologies, and industrial applications. There is a significant technical challenge in producing financially viable ORC plants, due to the high costs associated with custom heat exchange components and turbo-machinery. In the last few years, however, packaged systems have been developed from commercially available refrigeration systems, which significantly reduce cost. The goal of this project was to evaluate the feasibility of generating electricity using the waste heat from industrial air compression equipment. A simulation program was written to model the thermodynamics of the ORC. Several potential working fluids were surveyed and ranked based on their applicability to the industrial operating conditions. In particular, refrigerant R-236fa has been determined to be the most appropriate working fluid. The decision was made by weighing its thermal properties, as well as environmental and health considerations. Two types of heat rejection technology were considered, namely water-cooling and air-cooling, with emphasis on the effect of ambient conditions on ORC performance. It is concluded that water-cooling can be used for a plant located in Ontario, Canada, with the possibility of utilizing air-cooling during the cooler seasons of the year. An installation cost of U.S. $1,300/kW is feasible, yielding a simple payback period of 6.35 years. The results of this research project encourage further work to be done on this application of waste heat recovery.
Skip Nav Destination
ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability
August 7–10, 2011
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Advanced Energy Systems Division and Solar Energy Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5468-6
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Organic Rankine Cycle Power Generation for Energy Recovery From Air Compressors Available to Purchase
Babak Borshanpour,
Babak Borshanpour
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Search for other works by this author on:
James S. Wallace
James S. Wallace
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Search for other works by this author on:
Babak Borshanpour
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
James S. Wallace
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Paper No:
ES2011-54580, pp. 395-413; 19 pages
Published Online:
March 13, 2012
Citation
Borshanpour, B, & Wallace, JS. "Organic Rankine Cycle Power Generation for Energy Recovery From Air Compressors." Proceedings of the ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability. ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Parts A, B, and C. Washington, DC, USA. August 7–10, 2011. pp. 395-413. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/ES2011-54580
Download citation file:
17
Views
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Articles
Foreword
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power (April,2013)
Analysis of Novel Regenerative Thermo-Mechanical Refrigeration System Integrated With Isobaric Engine
J. Energy Resour. Technol (May,2021)
An Alternative Method for the Cooling of Power Microelectronics Using Classical Refrigeration
J. Electron. Packag (December,2008)
Related Chapters
Threshold Functions
Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines: Operating Experience and Future Potential
Physiology of Human Power Generation
Design of Human Powered Vehicles
Introduction
Consensus on Operating Practices for Control of Water and Steam Chemistry in Combined Cycle and Cogeneration