Publications
125 results found
White M, Oyewunmi OA, Chatzopoulou M, et al., 2018, Computer-aided working-fluid design, thermodynamic optimisation and technoeconomic assessment of ORC systems for waste-heat recovery, Energy, Vol: 161, Pages: 1181-1198, ISSN: 0360-5442
The wider adoption of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology for power generation or cogeneration from renewable or recovered waste-heat in many applications can be facilitated by improved thermodynamic performance, but also reduced investment costs. In this context, it is suggested that the further development of ORC power systems should be guided by combined thermoeconomic assessments that can capture directly the trade-offs between performace and cost with the aim of proposing solutions with high resource-use efficiency and, importantly, improved economic viability. This paper couples, for the first time, the computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) of the ORC working-fluid based on the statistical associating fluid theory (SAFT)-γ Mie equation of state with thermodynamic modelling and optimisation, in addition to heat-exchanger sizing models, component cost correlations and thermoeconomic assessments. The resulting CAMD-ORC framework presents a novel and powerful approach with extended capabilities that allows the thermodynamic optimisation of the ORC system and working fluid to be performed in a single step, thus removing subjective and pre-emptive screening criteria that exist in conventional approaches, while also extending to include cost considerations relating to the resulting optimal systems. Following validation, the proposed framework is used to identify optimal cycles and working fluids over a wide range of conditions characterised by three different heat-source cases with temperatures of 150 °C, 250 °C and 350 °C, corresponding to small- to medium-scale applications. In each case, the optimal combination of ORC system design and working fluid is identified, and the corresponding capital costs are evaluated. It is found that fluids with low specific-investment costs (SIC) are different to those that maximise the power output. The fluids with the lowest SIC are isoheptane, 2-pentene and 2-heptene, with SICs of £5620, £2760 an
Wang K, Herrando M, Pantaleo AM, et al., 2018, Thermodynamic and economic assessments of a hybrid PVT-ORC combined heating and power system for swimming pools, Heat Powered Cycles Conference 2018
The thermodynamic and economicperformance of a solar combined heatand power(S-CHP) system based on an array of hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collectorsandan organic Rankine cycle (ORC)engineis considered for the provision of heating and power to swimming poolfacilities. Priority is given to meeting the thermaldemand of the swimming pool,in order to ensure a comfortable condition for swimmers in colderweather conditions, while excessthermal output from the collectorsat highertemperatures is converted toelectricityby the ORC engine inwarmerweather conditions. The thermodynamic performance of this system and its dynamic characteristicsare analysed on the basis of a transient thermodynamic model. Various heat losses and gains are considered in accordance toenvironmental and user-relatedfactorsfor both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. A case study is then performed for the swimming pool atthe UniversitySportCentre (USC)of Bari, Italy. The results show thatemployinga zeotropic mixture of R245fa/R227ea (30/70%) as the ORC working fluidallows such an ORC systemto generate~50% more power than when usingpure R236eadue to the better temperature matchof the cycle tothe low-temperature hot-water heat sourcefrom the output of the PVT collectors.Apart from generatingelectricity, the ORC enginealso alleviatesPVT collectoroverheating,and reducesthe required size of the hot-water storage tank. With an installation of 2000 m2of PVT collectors, energetic analysesindicate that the proposedS-CHP systemcan cover 84-96% of the thermal demand of the swimming pool during the warm summer months and 61% of itsannually integratedtotal thermal demand. In addition, the system produces a combined (from thecollectors andORC engine) of 328 MWhofelectricityper year, corresponding to 36% of the total electricity demand of the USC, with ~4% coming from the ORC engine.Theanalysis suggestsa minimum payback time of 12.7yearswith anopt
Pantaleo AM, de palma P, Fordham J, et al., 2018, Integrating cogeneration and intermittent waste-heat recovery in food processing: Microturbines vs. ORC systems in the coffee roasting industry, Applied Energy, Vol: 225, Pages: 782-796, ISSN: 0306-2619
Coffee roasting is a highly energy intensive process wherein a large quantity of heat is discharged from the stack at medium-to-high temperatures. Much of the heat is released from the afterburner, which is required to remove volatile organic compounds and other pollutants from the flue gases. In this work, intermittent waste-heat recovery via thermal energy storage (TES) and organic Rankine cycles (ORCs) is compared to combined heat and power (CHP) based on micro gas-turbines (MGTs) for a coffee roasting plant. With regard to the former, a promising solution is proposed that involves recovering waste heat from the flue gas stream by partial hot-gas recycling at the rotating drum coffee roaster, and coupling this to a thermal store and an ORC engine for power generation. The two solutions (CHP + MGT prime mover vs. waste-heat recovery + ORC engine) are investigated based on mass and energy balances, and a cost assessment methodology is adopted to compare the profitability of three system configurations integrated into the selected roasting process. The case study involves a major Italian roasting plant with a 500 kg per hour coffee production capacity. Three options are investigated: (i) intermittent waste-heat recovery from the hot flue-gases with an ORC engine coupled to a TES system; (ii) regenerative topping MGT coupled to the existing modulating gas burner to generate hot air for the roasting process; and (iii) non-regenerative topping MGT with direct recovery of the turbine outlet air for the roasting process. The results show that the profitability of these investments is highly influenced by the natural gas and electricity prices and by the coffee roasting production capacity. The CHP solution via an MGT appears as a more profitable option than waste-heat recovery via an ORC engine primarily due to the intermittency of the heat-source availability and the high electricity cost relative to the cost of natural gas.
Herrando M, Pantaleo AM, Wang K, et al., 2018, Technoeconomic assessment of a PVT-based solar combined cooling heating and power (S-CCHP) system for the university campus of Bari, 13th Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems - SDEWES Conference, Publisher: SEDWES
In thiswork weanalyse the year-round technoeconomicperformance of a solar combined cooling, heating and power (S-CCHP)system that features polymeric flat-box PVT collectorscoupled via a thermal store to an absorptionchiller. The hourly space heating (SH), cooling and electricitydemands of the University Campus of Bari are used as inputs to amodeldeveloped in TRNSYS.Current electricity and gas prices are considered in order to estimate the annual cost savings which, together with the system’s investment cost, allow an estimation of itspayback time (PBT). The results are then compared to a PV systemthat matchesthe electricity demand of the Campus (including the electricity required to run the current HVAC system for air-conditioning).The results show that the main limiting factorfor the implementationof the S-CCHP systemis the roof-space availability in this application. Asystem with aninstalled power of 1.68MWpcan cover14% of the SH, 66% of the cooling and 17% oftheelectricaldemands of the Campus. The system’s PBTis estimated at 19.3years, which is 3 times higher than the PBTof a PV system of the same installed power, nevertheless,the proposed S-CCHPsystemhas the potential to displace 1,170tons CO2/year, or 50% more than theequivalentPV solution.
Liu M, van Dam KH, Pantaleo AM, et al., 2018, Optimisation of integrated bioenergy and concentrated solar power supply chains in South Africa, 28th European Symposium on Computer-Aided Process Engineering (ESCAPE), Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 1463-1468, ISSN: 1570-7946
Climate change and energy security are complex challenges whose solutions depend on multi-faceted interactions between different actors and socio-economic contexts. Energy innovation through integration of renewable energies in existing systems offers a partial solution, with high potential identified for bioenergy and solar energy. In South Africa there is potential to further integrate renewable energies to meet local demands and conditions. Various concentrated solar power (CSP) projects are in place, but there is still land available to generate electricity from the sun. In combination with sustainable biomass resources these can offer synergetic benefits in improving the power generation’s flexibility. While thermodynamic and thermo-economic modelling for hybrid CSP-Biomass technology have been proposed, energy modelling in the realm of supply chains and demand/supply dynamics has not been studied sufficiently.We present a spatially and temporally Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model, to optimize the choice and location of technologies in terms of economic cost while being characterised by realistic supply/demand constraints as well as spatially-explicit environmental constraints. The model is driven by electricity demand, resource availability and technology costs as it aspires to emulate key energy and sustainability issues. A case study in the South African province of Gauteng was implemented over 2015-2050 to highlight the potential and challenges for hybrid CSP-Biomass and integrated systems assessment and the applicability of the modelling approach.From the range of hybrid CSP-Biomass technologies considered, based on detailed techno-economic characteristics from the literature, the Biomass only EFGT plant is identified as the cost optimal. When distributed generation (DG) technologies, small-scale Solar PV and Wind Turbines were introduced to the model as a competing alternative, they were demonstrated to be more economically optimal (&eur
Pantaleo AM, Camporeale S, Sorrentino A, et al., 2018, Distributed heat and power generation: thermoeconomic analysis of Biomass-fired Rankine cycle systems with molten salts as heat transfer fluid, The 31st International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems, Publisher: ECOS
Distributed cogeneration systems can be used to serve onsite energy demands in industrial and commercial buildings. In market segments with highly variable heat-demand patterns, the thermal plant is often composed of a boiler that is operated at part load in case of low thermal demands. To improve the plant flexibility and its overall energy efficiency, the biomass boiler can be coupled to a combined heat and power (CHP) generation system, as an alternative to a heat-only plant. In this work, three thermodynamic configurations are compared: (A) a biomass furnace that acts as a heat-source for a steam Rankine cycle (ST) plant coupled to an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine; (B) the same as Case A but without the bottoming ORC; and (C): the same as Case A but without the steam cycle. All configurations assume the cogeneration of heat and power to match onsite energy demands. The plant adopts a molten salt (MS) circuit to transfer heat from the biomass furnace to the power generation system. The energy analysis assumes a ternary MS mixture operating up to 450 °C and with minimum temperature of 200 °C. Two organic fluids (Pentafluoropropane R245fa and Toluene) are considered, based on the temperature of heat available to the ORC engine. In the combined cycle of Case A, R245fa is selected and the maximum cycle temperature is 130 °C, with a global electrical efficiency of 16.6%. In Case C, when only the ORC system is used with Toluene as the working fluid, the electrical efficiency is 18.8% at the higher turbine inlet temperature of 330 °C. Production of hot water for cogeneration at different temperature levels is also considered. Based on the results of the thermodynamic simulations, upfront and operational costs assessments, and feed-in tariffs for renewable electricity, energy efficiency and investment profitability are estimated.
Simpson M, Pantaleo AM, De Palma P, et al., 2018, Design and thermo-economic optimisation of small-scale bottoming ORC systems coupled to biomass CHP gasification cycles, ECOS 2018 - 31st International Conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimization, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems., Publisher: ECOS
Optimisation of a small-scale bottoming organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine is carried out for a combined biomass-gasifier-CHP system, drawing heat from the syngas conditioning unit of the gasifier and the exhaust gas of the internal combustion(IC) engine. The optimisation considers different working fluids and selection of a positive-displacement expander. Single-and two-stage screw expanders and single-stage reciprocating-piston expanders are modelled in order to capture the variation in their performance at a range of design points.Double-pipe heat exchangers are employed for both evaporator and condenser, leading to a low-cost but bulky design.The system is optimised first for maximum electrical power output, and second for minimum specific investment cost(SIC). Cost correlations are used for each of the principal ORC components. The optimal design for minimum SIC is found to be a two-stage screw expander withethanol as the working fluid, which produces a 13.6% increase in the electrical power output relative to the system without an ORC.The investment attractiveness of the whole system with and without the bottoming ORC is assessed and the system is found tobe profitable for avoided electricity costs above 150 $/MWheland biomass costs of 50 $/t, with the ORC making the system more attractive in all cases studied.Discounted payback periods range from 12years at 150 $/MWhelto 3.5years at 250 $/MWhelforthe system with ORC.
Todaro L, Goli G, Cetera P, et al., 2018, Thermal properties of thermo-treated native black poplar wood, 8th Hardwood Conference on New Aspects of Hardwood Utilization - From Science To Technology, Publisher: UNIV SOPRON, DEPT FORESTRY POLICY & ECONOMICS, Pages: 42-43
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Amirante R, Demastro G, Distaso E, et al., 2018, Effects of Ultrasound and Green Synthesis ZnO Nanoparticles on Biogas Production from Olive Pomace, ATI 2018 - 73RD CONFERENCE OF THE ITALIAN THERMAL MACHINES ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION, Vol: 148, Pages: 940-947, ISSN: 1876-6102
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- Citations: 17
Borello D, Pantaleo AM, Caucci M, et al., 2017, Modeling and experimental study of a small scale olive pomace gasifier for cogeneration: energy and profitability analysis, Energies, Vol: 10, ISSN: 1996-1073
A thermodynamic model of a combined heat and power (CHP) plant, fed by syngas produced by dry olive pomace gasification is here presented. An experimental study is carried out to inform the proposed model. The plant is designed to produce electric power (200 kWel) and hot-water by using a cogenerative micro gas turbine (micro GT). Before being released, exhausts are used to dry the biomass from 50% to 17% wb. The ChemCad software is used to model the gasification process, and input data to inform the model are taken from experimental tests. The micro GT and cogeneration sections are modeled assuming data from existing commercial plants. The paper analyzes the whole conversion process from wet biomass to heat and power production, reporting energy balances and costs analysis. The investment profitability is assessed in light of the Italian regulations, which include feed-in-tariffs for biomass based electricity generation.
Pantaleo AM, Fordham J, Oyewunmi OA, et al., 2017, Intermittent waste heat recovery via ORC in coffee torrefaction, 9th International Conference on Applied Energy, ICAE2017, Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 1714-1720, ISSN: 1876-6102
Coffee torrefaction is carried out by means of hot air at average temperature of 200-240°C and with intermittent cycles where a lot of heat is discharged from the stack. CHP systems have been investigated to provide heat to the process. However, much of the heat released in the process is from the afterburner that heats up the flue gas to higher temperatures to remove volatile organic compounds and other pollutants. In this paper, the techno-economic feasibility of utilising waste heat from a rotating drum coffee roasting with partial hot gas recycling is assessed. A cost analysis is adopted to compare the profitability of two systems configurations integrated into the process. The case study of a major coffee torrefaction firm with 500 kg/hr production capacity in the Italian energy framework is taken. The CHP options under investigation are: (i) regenerative topping micro gas turbine (MGT) coupled to the existing modulating gas burner to generate hot air for the roasting process; (ii) intermittent waste heat recovery from the hot flue gas through an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) coupled to a thermal storage buffer. The results show that the profitability of these investments is highly influenced by the natural gas/electricity cost ratio, by the coffee torrefaction production capacity and intermittency level of discharged heat. In this case study, MGT seems to be more profitable than waste heat recovery via ORC due to the intermittency of the heat source and the relatively high electricity/heat cost ratio.
Simpson M, Sapin P, Rotolo G, et al., 2017, Efficiency map of reciprocating-piston expanders for ORC applications, 4th Annual Engine Organic Rankine Cycle Consortium Workshop 2017
Pantaleo AM, Chatzopoulou MA, Oyewunmi O, et al., 2017, THERMO-ECONOMIC OPTIMIZATION OF SMALL-SCALE ORC SYSTEMS FOR HEAT RECOVERY FROM NATURAL GAS INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES FOR STATIONARY POWER GENERATION, 4TH ANNUAL ENGINE ORC CONSORTIUM WORKSHOP FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE AND STATIONNARY ENGINE INDUSTRIES
Pantaleo AM, markides C, fordham J, et al., 2017, Intermittent waste heat recovery: Investment profitability of ORC cogeneration for batch, gas-fired coffee roasting, ICAE 2017, Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 575-582, ISSN: 1876-6102
Coffee roasting is a highly energy intensive process with much of the energy being lost in intermittent cycles as discharged heatfrom the stack. In this work, combined heat and power (CHP) systems based on micro gas-turbines (MGT) are investigated forproviding heat to the roasting process. Much of the heat released in a coffee roaster is from the afterburner that heats up the fluegases to high temperatures in order to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants. An interesting solutionfor utilizing waste heat is assessed through energy and material balances of a rotating drum coffee roasting with partial hot gasrecycling. A cost assessment methodology is adopted to compare the profitability of three proposed system configurationsintegrated into the process. The case study of a major coffee torrefaction plant with 500 kg/h production capacity is assumed tocarry out the thermo-economic assessment, under the Italian energy framework. The CHP options under investigation are:(i) regenerative topping MGT coupled to the existing modulating gas burner to generate hot air for the roasting process;(ii) intermittent waste-heat recovery from the hot flue-gases through an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine coupled to athermal storage buffer; and (iii) non-regenerative topping MGT with direct recovery of turbine outlet air for the roasting processby means of an afterburner that modulates the heat demand of the roasting process. The results show that the profitability of theseinvestments is highly influenced by the natural gas/electricity cost ratio, by the coffee torrefaction production capacity and by theintermittency level of discharged heat. The MGT appears as a more profitable option than waste-heat recovery via the ORCengine due to the intermittency of the heat source and the relatively high electricity/heat cost ratio.
Pantaleo AM, Camporeale SM, Sorrentino A, et al., 2017, Solar/biomass hybrid cycles with thermal storage and bottoming ORC: System integration and economic analysis, 4th International Seminar on ORC Power Systems (ORC), Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 724-731, ISSN: 1876-6102
This paper focuses on the thermodynamic modelling and thermo-economic assessment of a novel arrangement of a combined cycle composed of an externally fired gas turbine (EFGT) and a bottoming organic Rankine cycle (ORC). The main novelty is that the heat of the exhaust gas exiting from the gas turbine is recovered in a thermal energy storage from which heat is extracted to feed a bottoming ORC. The thermal storage can receive heat also from parabolic-trough concentrators (PTCs) with molten salts as heat-transfer fluid (HTF). The presence of the thermal storage between topping and bottoming cycle facilitates a flexible operation of the system, and in particular allows to compensate solar energy input fluctuations, increase capacity factor, increase the dispatchability of the renewable energy generated and potentially operate in load following mode. A thermal energy storage (TES) with two molten salt tanks (one cold and one hot) is chosen since it is able to operate in the temperature range useful to recover heat from the exhaust gas of the EFGT and supply heat to the ORC. The heat of the gas turbine exhaust gas that cannot be recovered in the TES can be delivered to thermal users for cogeneration.The selected bottoming ORC is a superheated recuperative cycle suitable to recover heat in the temperature range of the TES with good cycle efficiency. On the basis of the results of the thermodynamic simulations, upfront and operational costs assessments and subsidized energy framework (feed-in tariffs for renewable electricity), the global energy conversion efficiency and investment profitability are estimated.
Pantaleo AM, markides, Oyewunmi, et al., 2017, Integrated computer-aided working-fluid design and thermoeconomic ORC system optimisation, ORC-2017, Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 152-159, ISSN: 1876-6102
The successful commercialisation of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems across a range of power outputs and heat-source temperatures demands step-changes in both improved thermodynamic performance and reduced investment costs. The former can be achieved through high-performance components and optimised system architectures operating with novel working-fluids, whilst the latter requires careful component-technology selection, economies of scale, learning curves and a proper selection of materials and cycle configurations. In this context, thermoeconomic optimisation of the whole power-system should be completed aimed at maximising profitability. This paper couples the computer-aided molecular design (CAMD) of the working-fluid with ORC thermodynamic models, including recuperated and other alternative (e.g., partial evaporation or trilateral) cycles, and a thermoeconomic system assessment. The developed CAMD-ORC framework integrates an advanced molecular-based group-contribution equation of state, SAFT-γ Mie, with a thermodynamic description of the system, and is capable of simultaneously optimising the working-fluid structure, and the thermodynamic system. The advantage of the proposed CAMD-ORC methodology is that it removes subjective and pre-emptive screening criteria that would otherwise exist in conventional working-fluid selection studies. The framework is used to optimise hydrocarbon working-fluids for three different heat sources (150, 250 and 350 °C, each with mcp = 4.2 kW/K). In each case, the optimal combination of working-fluid and ORC system architecture is identified, and system investment costs are evaluated through component sizing models. It is observed that optimal working fluids that minimise the specific investment cost (SIC) are not the same as those that maximise power output. For the three heat sources the optimal working-fluids that minimise the SIC are isobutane, 2-pentene and 2-heptene, with SICs of 4.03, 2.22 and 1.84 £/W res
amirante R, de palma P, distaso E, et al., 2017, Thermodynamic analysis of a small scale combined cycle for energy generation from carbon neutral biomass, ORC-2017, Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 891-898, ISSN: 1876-6102
The aim of this paper is to investigate the thermodynamic performance of a novel small-scale power plant that employs a combined cycle for the energy generation from carbon-neutral biomass, such as pruning residues. The combined cycle is composed of an externally fired Joule Brayton cycle followed by a bottoming steam cycle. The topping cycle has the unique particularity of being composed of a cost-effective turbocharger taken from the automotive industry, in place of a more expensive commercial micro-turbine. The turbocharger can be either directly connected to the electric generator (after a few modifications) or coupled (without modifications) with a power turbine moving the generator. The use of solid biomass in the proposed plant is allowed by the presence of an external combustor and a gas-to-gas heat exchanger. The warm flue gases exhausted by the topping cycle are used in a bottoming cycle to produce steam, which can power a steam expander.This paper thermodynamically assesses the novel combined cycle in the configuration for the topping cycle that employs a turbocharger coupled with a power turbine capable of generating 30 kW of electrical power. Furthermore, the comparison between the performance obtained using the bottoming water Rankine cycle and a bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle is provided.
Pantaleo, Fordham J, Oyewunmi OA, et al., 2017, Optimal sizing and operation of on-site combined heat and power systems for intermittent waste-heat recovery, 9th International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE2017), Publisher: Elsevier, ISSN: 1876-6102
Coffee roasting is a highly energy intensive process with much of the energy being lost in intermittent cycles as discharged heatfrom the stack. In this work, combined heat and power (CHP) systems based on micro gas-turbines (MGT) are investigated forproviding heat to the roasting process. Much of the heat released in a coffee roaster is from the afterburner that heats up the fluegases to high temperatures in order to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants. An interesting solutionfor utilizing waste heat is assessed through energy and material balances of a rotating drum coffee roasting with partial hot gasrecycling. A cost assessment methodology is adopted to compare the profitability of three proposed system configurationsintegrated into the process. The case study of a major coffee torrefaction plant with 500 kg/h production capacity is assumed tocarry out the thermo-economic assessment, under the Italian energy framework. The CHP options under investigation are:(i) regenerative topping MGT coupled to the existing modulating gas burner to generate hot air for the roasting process;(ii) intermittent waste-heat recovery from the hot flue-gases through an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) engine coupled to athermal storage buffer; and (iii) non-regenerative topping MGT with direct recovery of turbine outlet air for the roasting processby means of an afterburner that modulates the heat demand of the roasting process. The results show that the profitability of theseinvestments is highly influenced by the natural gas/electricity cost ratio, by the coffee torrefaction production capacity and by theintermittency level of discharged heat. The MGT appears as a more profitable option than waste-heat recovery via the ORCengine due to the intermittency of the heat source and the relatively high electricity/heat cost ratio.
Oyewunmi OA, Kirmse CJW, Pantaleo AM, et al., 2017, Performance of working-fluid mixtures in ORC-CHP systems for different heat-demand segments and heat-recovery temperature levels, Energy Conversion and Management, Vol: 148, Pages: 1508-1524, ISSN: 0196-8904
In this paper, we investigate the adoption of working-fluid mixtures in ORC systems operating in combined heat and power (CHP) mode, with a power output provided by the expanding working fluid in the ORC turbine and a thermal energy output provided by the cooling water exiting (as a hot-water supply) the ORC condenser. We present a methodology for selecting optimal working-fluids in ORC systems with optimal CHP heat-to-electricity ratio and heat-supply temperature settings to match the seasonal variation in heat demand (temperature and intermittency of the load) of different end-users. A number of representative industrial waste-heat sources are considered by varying the ORC heat-source temperature over the range 150–330 °C. It is found that, a higher hot-water outlet temperature increases the exergy of the heat-sink stream but decreases the power output of the expander. Conversely, a low outlet temperature (~30 °C) allows for a high power-output, but a low cooling-stream exergy and hence a low potential to heat buildings or to cover other industrial thermal-energy demands. The results demonstrate that the optimal ORC shaft-power outputs vary considerably, from 9 MW up to 26 MW, while up to 10 MW of heating exergy is provided, with fuel savings in excess of 10%. It also emerges that single-component working fluids such as n-pentane appear to be optimal for fulfilling low-temperature heat demands, while working-fluid mixtures become optimal at higher heat-demand temperatures. In particular, the working-fluid mixture of 70% n-octane + 30% n-pentane results in an ORC-CHP system with the highest ORC exergy efficiency of 63% when utilizing 330 °C waste heat and delivering 90 °C hot water. The results of this research indicate that, when optimizing the global performance of ORC-CHP systems fed by industrial waste-heat sources, the temperature and load pattern of the cogenerated heat demand are crucial factors affecting the selection of the working fl
Oyewunmi OA, Pantaleo AM, markides CN, 2017, ORC cogeneration systems in waste-heat recovery applications, 9th International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE2017), Publisher: Elsevier, ISSN: 1876-6102
The performance of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems operating in combined heat and power (CHP) mode is investigated. TheORC-CHP systems recover heat from selected industrial waste-heat fluid streams with temperatures in the range 150 °C – 330 °C. Anelectrical power output is provided by the expanding working fluid in the ORC turbine, while a thermal output is provided by the coolingwater exiting the ORC condenser and also by a second heat-exchanger that recovers additional thermal energy from the heat-sourcestream downstream of the evaporator. The electrical and thermal energy outputs emerge as competing objectives, with the latter favouredat higher hot-water outlet temperatures and vice versa. Pentane, hexane and R245fa result in ORC-CHP systems with the highest exergyefficiencies over the range of waste-heat temperatures considered in this work. When maximizing the exergy efficiency, the second heatexchangeris effective (and advantageous) only in cases with lower heat-source temperatures (< 250 °C) and high heat-delivery/demandtemperatures (> 60 °C) giving a fuel energy savings ratio (FESR) of over 40%. When maximizing the FESR, this heat exchanger isessential to the system, satisfying 100% of the heat demand in all cases, achieving FESRs between 46% and 86%.
Pantaleo, Rotolo G, De Palma P, et al., 2017, Thermo-economic optimization of small-scale ORC systems for heat recovery from natural gas internal combustion engines for stationary power generation, 4th Annual Engine ORC Consortium Workshop for the Automotive and Stationary Engine Industries
Pantaleo AM, Camporeale SM, Markides CN, et al., 2017, Energy performance and thermo-economic assessment of a microturbine-based dual-fuel gas-biomass trigeneration system, 8th International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE), Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 764-772, ISSN: 1876-6102
The focus of this paper is on the energy performance and thermo-economic assessment of a small scale (100 kWe) combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) plant serving a tertiary/residential energy demand fired by natural gas and solid biomass. The plant is based on a modified regenerative micro gas-turbine (MGT), where compressed air exiting the recuperator is externally heated by the hot gases produced in a biomass furnace. The flue gases after the recuperator flow through a heat recovery system (HRS), producing domestic hot water (DHW) at 90 °C, space heating (SH), and also chilled water (CW) by means of an absorption chiller (AC). Different biomass/natural gas ratios and an aggregate of residential end-users in cold, average and mild climate conditions are compared in the thermo-economic assessment, in order to assess the trade-offs between: (i) the lower energy conversion efficiency and higher investment cost when increasing the biomass input rate; (ii) the higher primary energy savings and revenues from feed-in tariffs available for biomass electricity exported into the grid; and (iii) the improved energy performance, sales revenue and higher investment and operational costs of trigeneration. The results allow for a comparison of the energy performance and investment profitability of the selected system configuration, as a function of the heating/cooling demand intensity, and report a global energy efficiency in the range of 25-45%, and IRR in the range of 15-20% assuming the Italian subsidy framework.
Pantaleo AM, Camporeale SM, Miliozzi A, et al., 2017, Thermo-economic assessment of an externally fired hybrid CSP/biomass gas turbine and organic Rankine combined cycle, 8th International Conference on Applied Energy (ICAE), Publisher: Elsevier, Pages: 174-181, ISSN: 1876-6102
This paper focuses on the thermo-economic analysis of a hybrid solar-biomass CHP combined cycle composed by a 1.3-MW externally fired gas-turbine (EFGT) and a bottoming organic Rankine cycle (ORC) plant. The primary thermal energy input is provided by a hybrid concentrating solar power (CSP) collector-array coupled to a biomass boiler. The CSP collector-array is based on parabolic-trough concentrators (PTCs) with molten salts as the heat transfer fluid (HTF) upstream of a fluidized-bed furnace for direct biomass combustion. Thermal-energy storage (TES) with two molten-salt tanks (one cold and one hot) is considered, as a means to reducing the variations in the plant's operating conditions and increasing the plant's capacity factor. On the basis of the results of the thermodynamic simulations, upfront and operational costs assessments, and considering an Italian energy policy scenario, the global energy conversion efficiency and investment profitability are estimated for 2 different sizes of CSP arrays and biomass furnaces. The results indicate the low economic profitability of CSP in comparison to only biomass CHP, because of the high investment costs, which are not compensated by higher electricity sales revenues.
Pantaleo AM, Camporeale SM, Miliozzi A, et al., 2017, Novel hybrid CSP-biomass CHP for flexible generation: thermo-economic analysis and profitability assessment, Applied Energy, Vol: 204, Pages: 994-1006, ISSN: 1872-9118
This paper focuses on the thermo-economic analysis of a 2.1-MWe and 960 kWt hybrid solar-biomass combined heat and power (CHP) system composed of a 1.4-MWe Externally Fired Gas-Turbine (EFGT) and a 0.7-MWe bottoming Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plant. The primary thermal energy input is provided by a hybrid Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) collector array covering a total ground area of 22,000–32,000 m2, coupled to a biomass boiler. The CSP collector array is based on parabolic-trough concentrators (PTCs) with molten salts as the heat transfer fluid (HTF), upstream of a 4.5–9.1 MWt fluidized-bed furnace for direct biomass combustion. In addition, two molten-salt tanks are considered that provide 4.8–18 MWh (corresponding to 1.3–5.0 h) of Thermal Energy Storage (TES), as a means of reducing the variations in the plant’s operating conditions, increasing the plant’s capacity factor and total operating hours (from 5500–6000 to 8000 h per year). On the basis of the results of the thermodynamic simulations, upfront and operational costs assessments, and considering an Italian energy policy scenario (feed-in tariffs, or FiTs, for renewable electricity), the global energy conversion efficiency and investment profitability of this plant are estimated for different sizes of CSP and biomass furnaces, different operation strategies (baseload and modulating) and cogenerative vs. electricity-only system configurations. Upfront costs in the range 4.3–9.5 MEur are reported, with operating costs in the range 1.5–2.3 MEur annually. Levelized costs of energy from around 100 Eur/MWh to above 220 Eur/MWh are found, along with net present values (NPVs) from close to 13,000 to −3000 kEur and internal rates of return (IRRs) from 30% down to almost zero when prioritizing electrical power generation (i.e., not in cogenerative mode). In all cases the economic viability of the systems deteriorate for larger CSP section sizes. The
Camporeale SM, Ciliberti PD, Fortunato B, et al., 2017, Externally Fired Micro-Gas Turbine and Organic Rankine Cycle Bottoming Cycle: Optimal Biomass/Natural Gas Combined Heat and Power Generation Configuration for Residential Energy Demand, JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, Vol: 139, ISSN: 0742-4795
Bufi EA, Camporeale S, Fornarelli F, et al., 2017, Parametric multi-objective optimization of an Organic Rankine Cycle with thermal energy storage for distributed generation, ATI 2017 - 72ND CONFERENCE OF THE ITALIAN THERMAL MACHINES ENGINEERING ASSOCIATION, Vol: 126, Pages: 429-436, ISSN: 1876-6102
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- Citations: 14
Oyewunmi OA, Kirmse CJW, Pantaleo AM, et al., 2016, Performance of working-fluid mixtures in an ORC-CHP system for different heat demand segments, 29th international conference on Efficiency, Cost, Optimisation, Simulation and Environmental Impact of Energy Systems
Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power systems are being increasingly deployed for waste heat recovery andconversion to power in several industrial settings. In the present paper, we investigate the use of working-fluidmixtures in ORC systems operating in combined heat and power mode (ORC-CHP) with shaft power providedby the expander/turbine and heating provided by the cooling-water exiting the condenser. The waste-heatsource is a flue gas stream from a refinery boiler with a mass flow rate of 560 kg/s and an inlet temperature of330 °C. When using working fluids comprising normal alkanes, refrigerants and their subsequent mixtures, theORC-CHP system is demonstrated as being capable of delivering over 20 MW of net shaft power and up to15 MW of heating, leading to a fuel energy savings ratio (FESR) in excess of 20%. Single-component workingfluids such as pentane appear optimal at low hot-water supply temperatures, and fluid mixtures becomeoptimal at higher temperatures, with the combination of octane and pentane giving an ORC-CHP systemdesign with the highest efficiency. The influence of heat demand intensity on the global system conversionefficiency and optimal working fluid selection is also explored.
Fortunato B, Camporeale SM, Torresi M, et al., 2016, A COMBINED POWER PLANT FUELED BY SYNGAS PRODUCED IN A DOWNDRAFT GASIFIER, ASME Turbo Expo: Turbine Technical Conference and Exposition, Publisher: AMER SOC MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
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- Citations: 10
Savuto E, Borello D, Di Carlo A, et al., 2016, EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF MAYENITE-BASED CATALYSTS EFFECTIVENESS IN REDUCING POLLUTION FROM BIOMASS GASIFICATION IN FLUIDIZED BED REACTORS, ASME Turbo Expo: Turbine Technical Conference and Exposition, Publisher: AMER SOC MECHANICAL ENGINEERS
Camporeale SM, Fortunato B, Torresi M, et al., 2015, Part Load Performance and Operating Strategies of a Natural Gas-Biomass Dual Fueled Microturbine for Combined Heat and Power Generation, JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING FOR GAS TURBINES AND POWER-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, Vol: 137, ISSN: 0742-4795
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- Citations: 28
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