Targeting and Design of Organic Rankine Cycle Systems for Multiple Heat Sources with Simultaneous Working Fluid Selection

Abstract

We propose a systematic model for the optimum design of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) used for power generation from multiple heat sources available at different temperatures. The model enables the automated generation of inclusive and flexible ORC cascades and is optimized using a global optimization algorithm. Design parameters include the number of ORC cascades, the shared structure of the heat exchanger network, the operating conditions and the working fluid used in each cascade in order to identify an overall ORC structure that maximizes the power output. Results indicate significant operating improvements from using a double ORC cascade with different working fluids.