The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a new method in cogeneration systems that employs waste thermal energy in industrial plants to move microturbines gaining electrical power, with no more primary fuel consumption. Brazed plate heat exchangers of the Tempco T PLATE B series are a high-efficiency solution suitable for this kind of energy recovery plant. ORC cogeneration is quickly becoming popular in industrial power recovery applications: cogeneration is an efficient way for harvesting energy from waste heat streams produced in industrial processes, obtaining at the same time heat/cold and electrical energy.
Recovering energy from the thermal power produced in the industrial plant, ORC cogeneration is suitable for any industrial application with a wide amount of waste thermal energy streams and where electrical consumption and costs have an important impact on the production process, and its performance is strictly related to:
- Quantity of heat
- Heat source temperature
- Kind of thermal vector
- Working fluid
In ORC cogeneration systems, a primary waste heat stream, in the form of hot liquid or gas, is used to directly or indirectly heat another fluid, usually called the working fluid. The working fluid is an organic high molecular mass fluid with a liquid-vapor phase change (its boiling point) lower than the one of water-steam phase change. That’s why this power generation system is called Organic Rankine Cycle, and it allows low-temperature sources to be used, such as biomass combustion and industrial waste heat, to be converted into useful work to activate microturbines producing electrical energy.
The kind of working fluid is a key factor to optimise the performance of the thermodinamic cycle, and it depends on the temperature of the primary waste heat stream. Once the working fluid is pre-heated, it is vaporised, and its vapors expand in the turbine, paired with an electric generator producing electric energy. That’s how the cogeneration system converts part of the thermal energy into electricity.
ORC cogeneration uses plate heat exchangers, thermoregulation systems that employ metal plates to transfer thermal energy between the two fluids in a condition of high temperature gap. Tempco T PLATE B heat exchangers in this kind of cogeneration system allow a larger amount of heat to be transferred between the fluids, thanks to the large contact surface of the plates. Also, condensation and evaporation of the refrigerant gas used in the cogeneration cycle, usually R245Fa, is achieved using a medium-high temperature fluid, exhausted steam stream or pressurised water, or even with water from the evaporative tower or directly with dry cooler. In both solutions, a high thermal exchange efficiency is requested. Tempco brazed plates heat exchangers are the ideal solution for ORC cogeneration plants; they can guarantee:
- High energy efficiency
- Lowest charge losses
- High pressure resistance f.v. +50 bar
- High temperature resistance -200°C up to +300°C
- ‘Full vacuum’ employment
All of these characteristics are featured in the whole range of Tempco T PLATE B and T PLATE B OIL brazed plate heat exchangers, designed to ensure the best efficiency on heat exchange applied on different fluids in ORC cogeneration plants, and for hydraulic units and water/oil thermal exchange. The absence of gaskets also practically avoids maintenance, and the compact design with low weight ensures simple assembly with various connection options, such as SAE and male/female threat.
All brazed plate heat exchangers of Tempco T PLATE B are certified CE-PED, ASME U UM stamp, CSA, GOST R, KIWA, Lloyd’s Register, UDT, SVGW and CSI.
Available plate materials:
- AISI 316
- AVESTA 254 SMO (only some type)
Brazing materials:
- Copper
- Nickel
Dissipation of the remaining heat can rely on different solutions, depending on the environmental conditions of the production plant:
- Evaporative towers
- Brazed plates condenser
- Evaporative condenser
- Dry cooler
- Free cooler
- Plates exchanger
ORC cogeneration systems using the Tempco T PLATE B range of heat exchangers are designed for best power generation purposes from waste energy streams in industrial plants, converting it into electrical power for in-site use, allowing to cash on energy that is usually unexploited and improving energy efficiency of industrial production processes. Installing an ORC cogeneration system also indicates the environmental friendly level of a company, so that cogeneration plants for power generation from waste thermal streams have multiple benefits, both economical and energetic and in terms of company reputation.
Tempco offers the best equipment for thermal energy applications, power generation and cogeneration, and industrial thermoregulation, with a whole range of customisable solutions for any energy saving and power recovery system in industrial processes. Tempco offers solutions for cooling, heating, thermoregulation and thermal exchange. These include T PLATE B heat exchangers, cooling towers, chillers, thermoregulating units and a complete range of machinery for power generation and cogeneration plants: thermal recovery units, heat dissipation systems, biogas treatment units and fluids preheating systems. Visit Tempco’s website to discover more.