The effect of recuperator on the efficiency of ORC and TFC with very dry working fluid

¹ Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of Energy Engineering, Műegyetem rkp. 3, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
² Northern Technical University - Technical College of Kirkuk, 36001 Kirkuk, Iraq
³ Department of Thermohydraulics, Centre for Energy Research, POB. 49, H-1525 Budapest, Hungary

^* Corresponding author: imreattila@energia.bme.hu

Abstract

Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) and Trilateral Flash Cycles (TFC) are very similar power cycles; ideally, they have a reversible adiabatic (isentropic) compression, an isobaric heating, an isentropic expansion and an isobaric cooling. The main difference is that for ORC, the heating includes the full evaporation of the working fluid (prior expansion); therefore, the expansion starts in a saturated or dry vapour state, while for TFC, the heating terminates upon reaching the saturated liquid states. Therefore, for TFT, expansion liquid/vapour state (in bubbly liquid or in vapour dispersed with droplets), requiring a special two-phase expander. Being ORC a more “complete” cycle, one would expect that its thermodynamic efficiency is always higher than for a TFC, between the same temperatures and using the same working fluids. Surprisingly, it was shown that for very dry working fluids, the efficiency of TFC can exceed the efficiency of basic (i.e. recuperator- and superheater-free) ORC, choosing sufficiently high (but still subcritical) maximal cycle temperature. Therefore in these cases, TFC (having a simpler heat exchange unit for heating) can be a better choice than ORC. The presence of a recuperator can influence the situation; by recovering the proper percentage of the remaining heat (after the expansion), the efficiency of ORC can reach and even pass the efficiency of TFC.