Off-design dynamic model of a real Organic Rankine Cycle system fuelled by exhaust gases from industrial processes

• A detailed off-design dynamic model of a regenerative ORC system is presented.
• The model includes real geometries of commercial shell-and-tube heat exchangers.
• High efficiency of the ORC system is obtained at partial load in the range 80–110%.
• Variations of the evaporator volume does not significantly affect system stability.

ORCs (Organic Rankine Cycles) represent an effective option to exploit low grade heat fluxes, the characteristics of which not only affect design, but also performance and stability during operation.This paper presents a detailed design and off-design dynamic model of a superheated regenerative ORC system using the exhaust gases of an industrial process. The point of view is that of a designer who has to predict the system behavior both at steady-state and transient operation to get a reliable and efficient operation. Real physical and operating characteristics of all components are considered, with particular attention to the geometries of shell-and-tube commercial heat exchangers to properly simulate mass and thermal inertias. A suitable control system is chosen to govern the off-design operation taking into account all real operating constraints.Results show a slight decrease in gross system efficiency (less than 1% point) either varying the oil mass flow rate (in the range 80–110%) at constant temperature of the cold sink or this temperature (of 10 °C) at constant oil mass flow rate. Simulation of the transient behavior demonstrates the effectiveness of the control system on ORC stability under variation of the hot source mass flow rate and cold sink temperature.