Integration of biodiesel internal combustion engines and transcritical organic Rankine cycles for waste‐heat recovery in small‐scale applications. (28th November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Falbo, Luigi; Perrone, Diego; Morrone, Pietropaolo; Algieri, Angelo
• Is Part Of: International journal of energy research. Volume 46:Number 4(2022)
• Page Start: 5235
• Page End: 5249
• Publication Date: 2021-11-28
• Subjects: biodiesel -- integrated energy system -- internal combustion engine -- organic Rankine cycle -- renewable energy -- sustainability -- transcritical -- waste recovery; Power resources -- Periodicals; Power (Mechanics) -- Periodicals; Power resources -- Research -- Periodicals; 621.042
• DOI: 10.1002/er.7515
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0363-907X

Abstract

Summary: The aim of the work is the analysis of a novel integrated energy system for small‐scale combined heat and power (CHP) generation. The system consists of a topping biodiesel‐fired internal combustion engine (ICE) and a bottoming transcritical organic Rankine cycle (TORC) for waste‐heat recovery. Specifically, the engine exhaust gas provides energy to the TORC sub‐system, while the energy contribution of the ICE cooling circuit assures low‐temperature heat generation. Furthermore, a thermal energy storage (TES) unit for the exploitation of the thermal surplus and an auxiliary boiler are present. A mathematical model is developed to evaluate the main performances at full and partial load in terms of thermal and electric production, efficiency, fuel consumption, and primary energy saving. A preliminary analysis is carried out to find the proper organic working fluid for the TORC sub‐system. Afterwards, the biodiesel ICE‐TORC combined system is adopted to satisfy thermal and electric requests of a commercial centre. To this purpose, hourly energy balances are evaluated, and a techno‐economic analysis is performed on an annual basis. The investigated system guarantees a 16.7% primary energy saving and an 8.4 years payback time. Abstract : The work investigates a novel integrated energy system for small‐scale combined heat and power (CHP) generation in design and off‐design conditions. The system consists of a topping biodiesel‐fired internal combustion engine (ICE) and a bottoming transcritical organic Rankine cycle (TORC) for waste‐heat recovery. To the authors' best knowledge, no investigation on biodiesel‐fuelled ICE‐TORC combined systems is present in the literature, even though these apparatuses represent an effective option to promote sustainable energy production and the transition towards a low‐carbon economy.