Jurnal Mekanikal December 2005, No. 20, 68 – 77 [618351]

Jurnal Mekanikal December 2005, No. 20, 68 – 77

68
SOLAR THERMAL ORGANIC RANKINE CYCLE AS A
RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTION

Cheng Eng Cong1
Sanjayan Velautham
Amer Nordin Darus

Department of Thermo-Fluids
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

ABSTRACT

The objective of the paper is to study the feasibility of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
driven by solar thermal energy as a renewable energy option for small and medium sized
commercial usage, power generation of less than 10MW. ORC is principally a
conventional Rankine Cycle that uses organic compound as the working fluid instead of
water and it is particularly suitable for low temperature applications. Appropriate organic compound includes refrigerants and azeotropes. The ORC and the solar collector are
sized according to the solar flux distribution in Malaysia. According to Malaysia
Metrological Department, Kota Kinabalu has the highest yearly average of solar radiation in the country for year 2003, for this reason it is chosen for the location of study. The
power generation system consists of two cycles, the solar thermal cycle that harness solar
energy and the power cycle, which is the ORC that generates electricity. The solar thermal cycle circulates heat transfer fluid (HTF) in the cycle and harness thermal energy from the
sun and transfers it to the organic compound in the ORC via a heat exchanger.
Components in the power cycle or ORC include an ORC turbine for power generation, a condenser for heat rejection, a pump to increase the pressure and a heat exchanger. The
HTF selected in this analysis is Therminol VP3, which is currently used for commercial
solar thermal applications. For this research, 2 organic compounds were analyzed, R123 and isobutane. These two compounds are optimized for selection.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Fossil fuel consumption in the recent year s has been increasing and the burning of
fossil fuel is said to be a major contributor towards global warming, air pollution and ozone depletion. Besides the environment, the fossil fuel price fluctuates considerably, with the price of the petroleum reaching as high as USD 53 [1].
Such a high price will take a toll on the economy of any country especially when
Malaysia becomes a net importer of fo ssil fuel. Currently, 91.9% of Malaysia
power generation uses fossil fuels. In recen t years, Malaysia plans to reduce the
reliance on fossil fuel by introducing renewable energy as the 5
th Fuel in the 8th

1 Corresponding author, E-mail: [anonimizat]

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
69Malaysia Plan [2]. In the 8th Malaysia Plan, renewable energy sources are set to
increase its power generation share to 5% of the total fuel mix in Malaysia.
Therefore, it is pertinent to explore renewable energy usage to generate
electricity. For a conventional Rankine Cycl e, it is efficient to employ low-grade
heat source. Most renewable energy sour ces, for example solar and biomass are
considered as low-grade heat sources be cause the heat energy supplied is much
less compared to fossil fuel. Therefore in this study, it is proposed the use of solar
thermal energy for sustainable power ge neration using the Organic Rankine Cycle
(ORC). An example of a successful commercialized solar based power generation
systems is the Solar Electricity Genera tion System (SEGS) in America, which
generates 354 MW of electricity a year [3].

2.0 SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
2.1 Solar Thermal Cycle
Solar radiation can be divided into 2 co mponents, direct radiation and diffuse
radiation. Direct or beam radiation is the radiation that arrives at the ground
without being scattered by clouds. The scattered radiation is known as diffuse
radiation. The total radiation received; the sum of beam and diffuse, is called
global radiation.
There are two main types of solar collectors available in the market,
concentrated solar collectors and non-conc entrated solar collectors. Concentrated
collectors include the parabolic trough co llector, the parabolic dish collector and
the solar tower collector; while the flat plate collector is a non-concentrated
collector. Concentrated collectors only harness direct radiation whereas non-
concentrated collectors collect global radi ation [4]. For Malaysia, more diffuse
radiation is received as cloudy skie s occur more frequently. Concentrated
collectors have higher operating temper ature range of between 500°C and 1200°C
[5] while the non-concentrated collector, example the flat plate collector, operates
at temperatures from 80°C to 180°C [3]. The absorber surface temperature, T
ab,
for a concentrated collector is calculate using,
()41ap
ab
abASTAησ=− (1)
where A ap = aperture area
S = solar flux
σ = Stefan-Boltzman constant
Aab = absorber area
η = collector efficiency

According to the Malaysia Metrological Department [6], Kota Kinabalu has a
yearly average global radiation of 1.6 MJ/m2. Diffuse radiation is calculated using
correlations from Orgill and Hollands [4]. The direct solar radiation calculated for
Kota Kinabalu is 1.01 MJ/m2. By using Orgill and Hollands Correlation, diffuse
radiation can be found as:

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
70
75.075.0 35.035.0
177.084.1 557.1249.00.1
><<<
⎪⎭⎪⎬⎫
⎪⎩⎪⎨⎧
−−
=
TTT
TTT
d
kkk
kkk
II (2)

where clear sky index,
0IIkT=

I is the measured global radiation and Io is the calculated global radiation which is
a function of latitude, day of the year and solar time for the location of study.
Direct radiation is obtained by subtrac ting the diffuse radiation value from the
global radiation.

2.2 Organic Rankine Cycle
Components that make up an ORC are similar to the conventional Rankine Cycle.
The layout of an ORC is as shown in Figure 1. The efficiency of solar collectors
had been rigorously studied, therefore the efficiency of various collectors are
cross-referenced from other studies. Assu ming an ideal cycle, the mathematical
formulations for the components in an ORC are,
1) Feed pump to increase fluid pressure. Pump work, ()34 3 PWv P P=−
2) Condenser to reject heat to the environment, normally seawater. Heat
rejected, ()32 outQm h h=−&
3) Heat exchanger to transfer heat from heat source to the working fluid. The
heat source is equals to the solar thermal energy collected by the collector.
Heat received, ()41 inQm h h=−&
4) Turbine for work conversion. Turbine work, ()12 TWm h h=−&
5) Cycle thermal efficiency, out
inW
Qη=
Where m&= mass flow ν= specific volume
h = enthalpy P = Pressure

Figure 1: A simple diagram of ORC Turbine
CondenserHeat
Exchanger
Qin
Exhaust Thermal
Source From
Solar
Heat
PumpWP
Wout WT 1
2
3

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
71Hung et. al has studied numerous organi c fluids as a workin g fluid for Organic
Rankine Cycle [7]. Two organic compounds are studied in this study, R123 and
isobutane. These fluids are selected ba sed on the criteria for an ideal Rankine
Cycle fluid suggested by Nag [8]. R123, an isentropic fluid, was shown to deliver
good results as per Yamamoto et. al [9]; while according to Larjola [10] isobutane
is a dry fluid and is recommended for low temperature utilizations. These two
working fluids are chosen to study the effects of different working fluids on the
ORC. For R123, the thermodynamic proper ties were obtained from the Modified
Benedict-Webb-Rubin (MBWR) equation of state from Younglove and McLinden
[11]. For isobutane, the thermodynamic properties are also obtained from the
MBWR equation of state which was tabulated by Younglove and Ely [12].
A parametric study was carried out to obtain the cycle efficiency of the ORC
along the saturated vapor line in the subc ritical region for R123 and isobutane.
This was done in order to make the ORC’ s efficiency closer to the Carnot Cycle
efficiency. Another important aspect is the limitation of the solar thermal collector’s operating temperature. Cycles using these fluids will be optimized to
deliver the highest work output and the highest efficiency along the saturated
vapor line. The effects of turbine inlet temperature (TIT) on these fluids in the
superheated region will be investigated at 2 pressure levels as compared to the
optimized cycle. By increasing the TIT along the isobaric line, the working fluid
will be superheated. Table 1 presents the thermophysical properties of R123 and
isobutane.

Table 1:
Thermophysical properties of R123 and Isobutane [13]

Parameters R123 Isobutane
Chemical Formula CHCl 2 – CF 3 C4H10
Molecular weight (g/mol) 152.93 58.125
Slope of saturated vapor line Isentropic Negative
Critical temperature (K) 456.831 407.85
Critical Pressure (MPa) 3.6618 3.64
Boiling point at 1 atm (K) 300.82 261.44
Maximum Pressure (MPa) NA 35
Maximum Temperature (K) NA 600

3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The performance of R123 and isobutane as the working fluid for an ORC is
analyzed. Computer programming using MATLAB is used to calculate and obtain
the relevant thermodynamic data and various system performances. The effects of
turbine inlet pressure (TIP) along satura ted vapor line, the TIT in superheated
region and the T-s diagram of ORC are discussed. Figure 2 depicts the graphical
representation of R123 and isobutane in a T-s diagram. Unlike water, which has a
negative saturated vapor line gradient, R123 and isobutane has a near-straight and
positive gradient respectively. The gradient of the saturated vapor line will affect
the system efficiency [14]. When the tw o fluids are compared, R123 has a much

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
72-200-150-100-50050100150200250
0123456Entropy [kJ/kg K]Temperature [C]Isobutane
R123 smaller enthalpy of vaporization but a high er critical point. A smaller enthalpy of
vaporization means that less heat energy needed in vaporizing the fluid.

Figure 2: T-s diagram of R123 and Isobutane

3.1 Effect of Turbine Inlet Pressure along Saturated Vapor Line
The effect of TIP on the efficiency of the R123 and isobutane as the working fluid
is shown in Figure 3. From the figure, it is shown that the efficiency for both
fluids is a quadratic function of pressure. Relationship of work to pressure in the
same graph also shows a quadratic line. Work and efficiency converted from ORC
is a function of higher pressure for bot h fluids. Pressure point optimized work
converted is near to the pressure point optimized at the maximum obtainable
efficiency. As the pressure increases after the maximum point, less work is
produced because the fluid will move further into the superheated region at the
turbine outlet. This loss of work is due to the gradient of the saturated vapor line.
More heat is rejected to the environment as the result of the gradient of the line. In
power generation work output has priority over system efficiency if the difference
in efficiency is not significant betw een the two maximum points. Referring to
Table 2, the difference of efficiency obt ained from optimized (Opt.) work cycle
and optimized efficiency cycle for both fluids is only 0.3% although work output
difference is about 0.4 to 2 kJ/kg.
A comparison between the two working fluids indicates that though R123
provides better overall thermal efficiency , isobutane gives better work output
albeit at a lower efficiency. The difference between the maximum work outputs
achieved by both working fluids is appr oximately 30 kJ/kg whereas the efficiency
difference is 6%, as shown in Table 2. The condenser temperature or the minimum
cycle temperature for R123 and isobutane is 28 ˚C. The common value for
condenser temperatures is 24 ˚C, but the saturation pressure for R123 at 28 ˚C is
equal to the atmospheric pressure. So, by fixing the temperature at 28°C, a
vacuum condition is not needed in the condenser.

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
73

Figure 3: Work & efficiency vs. Turbine inlet pressure for R123 and Isobutane

The expansion ratio of R123 is nearly three times that of isobutene. The low
volume flow ratio of isobutane is due to its lower molecular weight. The Carnot efficiency is evaluated at the same maximum and minimum working temperatures,
the difference between the actual cycle effici ency and the Carnot efficiency is only
from 6 to 8%. While, the difference in efficiency between a Rankine Cycle and a
Carnot Cycle is normally in the range of 10 to 20%, at the same working pressure
condition.

Table 2: Working fluid and conversion cycle characteristics for ORC System

Working Fluid R123 Isobutane
Condition Opt. Work Opt.
Efficiency Opt. Work Opt. Efficiency
Min. cycle pres. [MPa] 0.10 0.10 0.38 0.38
Min. cycle temp. [ ˚C] 28 28 28 28
Max. cycle pres. [MPa] 3.40 3.54 3.16 3.40
Max. cycle temp. [ ˚C] 180 182 127 132
Compression ratio 34 35.4 8.32 8.95
Turbine expansion ratio 50.6 60.2 12.5 17.6
Isentropic work [kJ/kg] 58.99 58.54 77.65 75.78 Wettest vapor quality 0.84 0.78 0.95 0.86
Exhaust vapor quality Superheated 0.98 Superheated Superheated
Turbine mass flow [kg/s] 1 1 1 1 Cycle Efficiency [%] 25.63 25.90 18.57 18.85
Carnot Efficiency [%] 33.82 33.55 24.74 25.62

From Table 2, the term of “wettest vapor quality” is used. This term is to
indicate the highest moisture content in the working section of the ORC turbine.
When higher-pressure level of ORC is track ed along the saturated vapor line, it is 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 0.5 1 1.5 4
Pressure [MPa]Work [kJ/kg]
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Efficiency [-]
2 2.5 3 3.5Poly. (Efficienc y (R123 ))
Poly. (Efficiency
(Isobutane))
Poly. (Work (R123 ))
Poly. (Work (Isobutane))

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
74found that as the pressure approaches the critical pressu re, fluid expansion in the
turbine will lead to higher moisture content as compared to the turbine outlet. This
occurs due to the saturated vapor line curv ature in the T-s diagram of the fluid, at
higher pressures the gradient of the satu rated vapor line changes from positive to
negative.
To make sure that the vapor is dry in the turbine, because high moisture content
will corrode the turbine, it is recommended that the TIP be set at the turning point
of the saturated vapor line in the T-s diagram. The turning point is situated
between the point of inflexion and the critical point. By changing the maximum
cycle pressure, the efficiency and work output will drop to a lower value but the
working fluid will be dry in the working s ection of the turbine. Table 3 shows the
work delivered after correcting the pressu re and temperature to the turning point.
The choice of either choosing the ma ximum work, maximum efficiency or the
corrected pressure will depend on economic factors. Others include the effect of wet vapor on the turbine blade, lifetimes of the turbine, cost of the turbine and
materials involved. However, these econom ic considerations ar e beyond the scope
of this study.

Table 3: Working fluid and conversion cycl e characteristics at corrected pressure

3.2 Effect of Turbine Inlet Te mperature in Superheated Region
The effect of superheating the working fluid is shown in Figure 4 for R123 and
isobutane. For R123, efficiency is constant with the increase of turbine inlet temperature especially at higher pressures. Generally the efficiency declines with
temperature increase although there is a slight efficiency increase at lower
pressure. Therefore it is not attractive to increase the TIT to the superheated region
for R123 because the increase in temperat ure does not increase the efficiency.
With these two pressure levels plotted, performance at other pressure levels can be
found using interpolation or extrapolation method.

Working Fluid R123 Isobutane
Condition Corrected Pressure Corrected Pressure
Min. cycle pres. [MPa] 0.10 0.38
Min. cycle temp. [ ˚C] 28 28
Max. cycle pres. [MPa] 2.08 2.25
Max. cycle temp. [ ˚C] 150 107
Compression ratio 20.8 5.9 Turbine expansion ratio 71.2 7.0
Isentropic work [kJ/kg] 51.6 69.2
Exhaust vapor quality Superheated Superheated Cycle Efficiency [%] 22.15 16.6 Carnot Efficiency [%] 28.88 20.72

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
75

Isobutane ORC behaves quite similar to the R123 but the increase in efficiency
is steeper with temperature increase at both pressures. After the maximum point,
the drop of efficiency of the ORC is al so steeper compared to R123. The increase
of efficiency with temperature is as high as 2%. Therefore, for the isobutane ORC
it is recommended to superheat within an allowable temperature limit at turbine
inlet. The optimum temperature is around 150°C to 170°C depending on the inlet
pressure.

3.3 Temperature-Entropy Diagra m of Organic Rankine Cycle
Figures 5 and 6 show the T-s diagram for R123 and isobutane corresponding to
the maximum work output cycle found in section 3.1. Superheating at 2 pressure levels as shown in section 3.2, for each working fluid was plotted in the same
figures. From the T-s diagram, it is noti ced that superheating ORC increases heat
rejection and will results in lower effici encies. Though superheating increases the
efficiency for some fluids, example isobutane, but it will increase heat rejection.
Therefore, superheating will only be attrac tive if improvements are made to re-use
this heat rejection.

79111315171921
70 120 170 220 270 320
Turbine Inlet Temperature [C]Efficiency [-]2 MPa (Isobutane)
1.2 MPa (Isobutane)
1 MPa (R123)
Linear (2 MPa (R123))
Figure 4: The effect of turbine inlet temp erature on efficiency at superheated region
for R123 and Isobutane

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
76020406080100120140
3.5 3.7 3.9 4.1 4.3 4.5 4.7 4.9 5.1 5.3 5.5
Entropy [kJ/kg K]Temperature [C]P = 3.16 MPa (Opt Work)
P = 2 MPa
P = 1.2 MPa
020406080100120140160180
1 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9
Entropy [kJ/kg K]Temperature [C]P = 3.40 MPa (Opt.
Work)
P = 1 MPa
P = 2 MPa

Figure 5: T-s diagram of ORC Isobutane at maximum work, P = 1.2 MPa & \ P =
2 MPa

Figure 6: T-s diagram of ORC R123 at maximum work, P = 1 MPa & P = 2 MPa

4.0 CONCLUSION

In this study R123 and isobutane based ORC were examined for power
generation. Work output and efficiency of the system along the saturated vapor

Jurnal Mekanikal, December 2005
77line and superheating are investigated. Base d on the analysis done, the following
conclusions can be made:
1. R123 gives a higher thermal effici ency compared to isobutane, R123
efficiency ranges from 22 to 26% while isobutane ranges from 17 to 19%.
2. R123 is more suitable for higher temperature applications, while isobutane
is preferable for lower temperature applications.
3. The ORC efficiency is closer to th e Carnot efficiency with the difference
being less than 10%.
4. The ORC efficiency for R123 is a weak function of turbine inlet
temperature; as a result, su perheating is undesirable.
5. Superheating isobutane for the ORC can increase the efficiency but there
is an optimal temperature, from 150 °C to 170°C.

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