Improved ORC process for power production by using low temperature heat

Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) are a modification of the classical water-steam process and are particularly suitable for electricity generation from low and medium temperature heat sources, e.g., industrial waste heat or geothermal energy. In contrast to the water-steam process, the ORC process uses organic fluids as working fluids. When using working fluids of the dry class (e.g. n-pentane), a recuperator is frequently installed in state-of-the-art ORC processes to increase the cycle efficiency. This paper analyses an improved ORC process design: A liquid working fluid stream is mixed with the vapour flow between the high-pressure stage and the medium-pressure stage of the turbine. Furthermore, the recuperator is replaced by a spray condenser. These two improvements were analysed by thermodynamic process simulations. As a use case, electricity production from clinker cooler waste heat at a temperature level of 275°C was simulated. The improved process as described would lead to an increase in the overall net efficiency up to 14%, compared to a state-of-the-art ORC process.