ORC Engines
The growing concern over the future depletion of fossil flues and the effect on our environment has brought to light the ORC Technology for Low-Grade Heat Recovery. In ThermoDraft, we provide commercial and customized designed ORCs for industrial and marine applications. Under the stressing of fossil fuel prices and the need for clean energy generation, ORC technology emerges as the ideal alternative, since it reliably saves costs. ThermoDraft's ORC products range from 30 to 200 kWe while exploiting heat sources from 70 to 180 °C. Higher capacities can be achieved with multiple ORC units in parallel.
How it works
The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is named for its use of an organic, high molecular mass fluid with a liquid-vapor phase change, or boiling point, occurring at a lower temperature than the water-steam phase change. The fluid allows Rankine cycle heat recovery from lower temperature sources such as biomass combustion, industrial waste heat, geothermal heat, solar ponds etc. The low-temperature heat is converted into useful work, that can itself be converted into electricity.
Centrifugal pump with magnetic drive
Brazed plate or shell & tube heat exchangers
Screw type expander
Regenerative inverter controlled operation
Conventional and new-generation eco-friendly refrigerants with negligible GWP and Ozone Depletion potential (ODP) may be employed, such as R1234ze(E) or R1233zd(E). Polyester oil (POE) with appropriate viscosity and compatible with the refrigerants is used for the lubrication of the expander, which operates at high temperatures.
Applications
Solid biomass
Residual biomass as fuel for co-generation system, based on the ORC technology
Industrial processes
Heat recovery from exhaust gas and/or cooling system for electricity production
Solar energy
Heat recovery from exhaust gas and/or cooling system for electricity production
Models
ThermoDraft develops air-cooled or water-cooled ORC engines, depending on the specific needs and the required electrical load.
Air cooled type
Water cooled type
| ORC models | ORC-230 | ORC-470 | ORC-830 | ORC-1130 | ORC-1530 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominal electrical production (kWe) | 30 | 60 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Expander | Twin-screw rotary semi-hermetic expander | ||||
| Evaporator | Brazed plate heat exchanger | ||||
| Condenser (3 options depending on the heat sink) | Brazed plate heat exchanger for fresh water-cooled units | ||||
| Shell and tube heat exchanger with copper-nickel tubes for sea/salt water-cooled units | |||||
| Finned tube heat exchanger for air-cooled units | |||||
| Refrigerant | R1234ze(E) or R1233zd(E) (depending on the waste heat temperature) | ||||