Rémi Dickes

Experimental performance of a piston expander in a small- scale organic Rankine cycle

Volumetric expanders are suitable for more and more applications in the field of micro- and small-scale power system as waster heat recovery or solar energy. This paper present an experimental study carried out on a swatch-plate piston expander. The expander was integrated into an ORC test-bench using R245fa. The performances are evaluated in term of isentropic efficiency and filling factor. The maximum efficiency and power reached are respectively 53% and 2 kW. Inside cylinder pressure measurements allow to compute mechanical efficiency and drown P-V diagram. A semi-empirical simulation model is then proposed, calibrated and used to analyse the different sources of losses.

Chapter 16 - Solar thermal powered Organic Rankine Cycles

This chapter introduces the concept of solar energy as a source for driving Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plants, and identifies relevant deployed examples. The nature of solar irradiance and its geographic dynamic is described, and various solar collector architectures and plant topologies are presented, including hybridization of solar with storage and alternative thermal resources, and the cogeneration possibilities of diverse applications including industrial and distributed generation scenarios. The intermittent nature of solar heat highlights the importance of dynamic simulation as a tool to understand and optimize solar ORC (SORC) systems and their control, and provides a basis for engineering and economic analysis of potential system designs.