Organic Rankine Cycle

The Rankine Cycle

The Rankine Cycle is a thermodynamic cycle which converts heat into work. The heat is
supplied externally to a closed loop, which usually uses water as working fluid. The Rankine
Cycle based on water provides approximately 85% of worldwide electricity production.

William Rankine
The Rankine cycle is named after William John Macquorn Rankine (July 5, 1820 -
December 24, 1872), a Scottish engineer and physicist. He was a founding contributor to the
science of thermodynamics. Rankine developed a complete theory of the steam engine and
indeed of all heat engines. His manuals of engineering science and practice were used for
many decades after their publication in the 1850s and 1860s. He published several hundred
papers and notes on science and engineering topics, from 1840 onwards, and his interests
were extremely varied, including, in his youth, botany, music theory and number theory, and
most major branches of science, mathematics and engineering. He was an enthusiastic
amateur singer, pianist and cellist who composed his own humorous songs.

The first Organic Rankine Cycles: the Naphtha Launch

The Rankine cycle is usually based on water as a working fluid. Applications of the cycle
with different working fluids started to appear soon, such as the Naphtha boats. In 1883
Frank Ofeldt developed a unique power system which he hoped would have replaced steam.
His naphtha engines are steam engines that boil naphtha (a form of gasoline) instead of water
to drive the pistons. At the time, the government required a license to boil water in steam
engines but did not require one to boil gasoline. Therefore, for the first time a gentleman
boater could operate his own power boat without the assistance of an engineer. One would
have to be of "gentleman's" means to own one of these vessels. In the 1880s, a 21 foot boat
with a Naphtha engine cost $750 - one and a half times the annual wage of craftsmen who
built them. (from the Mystic Seaport Museum website).

The Italian School

The Organic Rankine Cycle technology was seriously developed only during the XX century.
In Italy, an experiment was carried out during the Thirties on the Island of Ischia. Important
studies were conducted after the Second World War in Russia, USA and Israel. Back to Italy,
during the Seventies the Italian ORC School was born at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy's
most important engineering University. Its founder was Prof. Gianfranco Angelino, with his
colleagues Prof. Ennio Macchi and Prof. Mario Gaia, the founder of Turboden.

Organic Rankine Cycle Today

Organic Rankine Cycle is a well-known and widely spread form of energy production, mostly
in biomass and geothermal applications, but great rises in solar and heat recovery applications
are also expected. Environmental concern over climate change and rising oil prices are
powerful reasons supporting the explosive growth of this efficient, clean and reliable way of
producing electricity.

Theory
The Organic Rankine Cycle's principle is based on a turbogenerator working as a normal
steam turbine to transform thermal energy into mechanical energy and finally into electric
energy through an electric generator. Instead of the water steam, the ORC system vaporizes
an organic fluid, characterized by a molecular mass higher than water, which leads to a
slower rotation of the turbine and lower pressure and erosion of the metallic parts and blades.

How it works
with reference to a standard biomass Combined Heat and Power plant the process is based on
the following thermodynamic cycle:

1. A heat source heats thermal oil to a high temperature, typically about 300C, in a
closed circuit;

2. The hot thermal oil is drawn to and from the ORC module in closed circuit. In the
ORC it evaporates the organic working fluid of the ORC in a suitable heat exchanger
system (pre-heater and evaporator);

3. Organic vapour expands in the turbine, producing mechanical energy, further

transformed into electric energy through a generator;

4. The vapour is then cooled by a fluid in a closed circuit and condensed. The water
warms up at about 80 - 90C and it is used for different applications requiring heat;

5. The condensed organic fluid is pumped back into the regenerator to close the circuit
and restart the cycle.

Efficiency
The ORC cycle has a high overall energy efficiency: 98% of incoming thermal power in the
thermal oil is transformed into electric energy (around 20%) and heat (78%), with extremely
limited thermal leaks, only 2 % due to thermal isolation, radiance and losses in the generator;
the electric efficiency obtained in non cogenerative cases is much higher (around 24% and
more).
Advantages
Organic Rankine Cycle offers many advantages, such as:

High turbine / thermodynamic cycle efficiency;

Turbine low mechanical stress;

Absence of moisture during the vapour expansion, responsible for the erosion of the
blades;

Simple start up procedures;

Automatic and continuous operation;

Simple maintenance procedure;

No operator attendance required;

Long life of the plant (> 20 years);

No need to demineralize water.

Due to these advantages, power plants based on ORC technology are quickly spreading
around the world.

The Turboden ORC

Why choose a Turboden ORC?

1. Experience: Turboden projects and manufactures ORC units since 1980

2. References: Turboden has in operation more than 100 ORC units all over Europa
(data May 2009)

3. Performance: high performance at top level, due to in-house designed turbines and
specifically selected fluids

4. Reliability: 98% average functioning time

5. Cutting-edge technology: Turboden has an internal R&D centre in Milan focusing on

fluid dynamics research

6. High-quality: due to careful production and testing at the internal production facility
in Brescia
 7. Easy to use: the unit is designed to be easily operated even by unskilled staff

8. Long operational life: our units are specifically designed for long duration, with
over-sized components and safe design margins

9. Customer satisfaction: we have clients buying different units over the years, the best
proof of customer satisfaction. Moreover, we offer a high degree of unit customization
following client specific needs

10. After-sale services: extendable guarantees and maintenance packets

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