Working fluids for low-temperature organic Rankine cycles

A thermodynamic screening of 31 pure component working fluids for organic Rankine cycles (ORC) is given using BACKONE equation of state. The fluids are alkanes, fluorinated alkanes, ethers and fluorinated ethers. The ORC cycles operate between 100 and 30 °C typical for geothermal power plants at pressures mostly limited to 20 bar, but in some cases supercritical pressures are also considered. Thermal efficiencies ηth are presented for cycles of different types. In case of subcritical pressure processes one has to distinguish (1) whether the shape of the saturated vapour line in the T,s-diagram is bell-shaped or overhanging, and (2) whether the vapour entering the turbine is saturated or superheated. Moreover, in case that the vapour leaving the turbine is superheated, an internal heat exchanger (IHE) may be used. The highest ηth-values are obtained for the high boiling substances with overhanging saturated vapour line in subcritical processes with an IHE, e.g., for n-butane ηth=0.130. On the other hand, a pinch analysis for the heat transfer from the heat carrier with maximum temperature of 120 °C to the working fluid shows that the largest amount of heat can be transferred to a supercritical fluid and the least to a high-boiling subcritical fluid.