Techno-economic Analysis of Biomass-fired ORC Systems for Single-family Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Applications☆

Abstract The aim of the paper is the investigation of the energetic performances and the economic feasibility of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs) for biomass single-family combined heat and power (CHP) generation. To this purpose, a parametric energy analysis has been performed to identify the proper system configurations. Subcritical and transcritical cycles, with saturated and superheated conditions at the turbine inlet, have been analysed and the impact of internal regeneration on system behaviour has been studied. The work reveals the large influence of the maximum temperature and the noticeable effect of the internal regeneration on the ORC system performances and the relative energy saving capabilities. An economic feasibility analysis has been performed for single-family users, taking into account the Italian scenario and the incentives for high efficiency cogeneration. The results in terms of return on investment and net positive value highlight that biomass-fired ORC system appears an attractive option for single-family CHP applications

a comparative energetic analysis of active and passive emission control systems adopting standard emission test cycles

The present work aims at analysing and comparing the thermal performances of active and passive aftertreatment systems. A one-dimensional transient model has been developed in order to evaluate the heat exchange between the solid and the exhaust gas and to estimate the energy effectiveness of the apparatus. Furthermore, the effect of the engine operating conditions on the performances of emission control systems has been investigated considering standard emission test cycles. The analysis has demonstrated that the active flow control presents the higher thermal inertia and it appears more suitable to maintain the converter initial temperature level for a longer time after variations in engine load. Conversely, the traditional passive flow control is preferable when rapid "cooling" or "heating" of the solid phase is requested. Moreover, the investigation has highlighted the significant influence of the cycle time and converter length on the energetic performances of the aftertreatment apparatus

Development of a Lumped Model for the Characterisation of the Intake Phase in Spark-ignition Internal Combustion Engines

Abstract The present work aims to develop a control-oriented lumped model to investigate the fluid dynamic behaviour of multi-valve spark-ignition engines (ICEs). Specifically, the attention has been focused on the intake phase and in-cylinder air charge estimation. To this purpose, a spark-ignition engine has been characterised at a flow rig in terms of flow coefficients. The experimental data have been used to define the fluid dynamic behaviour of the different intake system components and to calibrate and validate the proposed model that has been developed in Matlab/Simulink environment. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the capability of the zero-dimensional code and to estimate the instantaneous in-cylinder mass flow in different operating conditions, the numerical data have been compared to the results of a one-dimensional commercial software. The comparison between numerical and experimental data shows a good agreement. The investigation highlights that the proposed control-oriented lumped model represents a useful and simple tool to evaluate the engine breathability and to define the proper valve timing

A numerical analysis of energetic performances of active and passive aftertreatment systems

The present work aims to analyze the thermal and the energetic performances of an aftertreatment system with unidirectional and periodic reversal flow within the device. To this purpose a single-channel one-dimensional model was developed in order to assess the heat exchange between the aftertreatment system and the exhaust gas. Furthermore, the temperature profiles of the gas and solid phase were computed and the calculated temperatures were adopted to characterize the energy effectiveness of the aftertreatment system. The comparison between different control modes showed an increase in the heat retention efficiency of the system with reverse flow at low engine load conditions. Conversely, the system with passive thermal management presented higher temperatures of the monolith during the warm-up operations. Furthermore, the influence of unburned hydrocarbons oxidation on the effectiveness of the aftertreatment system was evaluated and the significant influence of the cycle time and the monolith length on the system performance was shown. Finally, the gas residence time was evaluated for different operating conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

The influence of rotary valve distribution systems on the energetic efficiency of regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTO)

On–off valve systems, commonly used in regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) plants, generate, during the opening time, a mass flow rate (MFR) which is constant. On the contrary, rotary valve systems, which are increasingly adopted in RTO plants, are characterized by variable MFR profiles. In this work, the energy requirements of two RTO systems, equipped with on–off or rotary valves, were determined using a home-developed numerical code. Energy performances were evaluated by calculating the thermal efficiency and pressure drop within structured or random packed bed RTO systems, at the same mean MFR. The results demonstrated that thermal efficiency was only moderately influenced by the valve system, and is slightly lower for the RTO with on–off valve. On the other hand, the study revealed that energy requirements of all RTO systems were basically unaffected by cycle duration, allowing valve rotational velocity to be freely set to maximize for other technical requirements. On the contrary, pressure drop was greatly influenced by the valve type and increased as variability in MFR function augmented. Moreover, the type of regenerator, structured or random packed bed, affected differently the total energy requirements (basically pumping energy plus auxiliary fuel). Energy requirements of structured and random regenerators were comparable only when volatile organic compounds concentration was lower than typical values encountered in the industrial practise. In other cases, structured regenerators RTO were more competitive. Finally, structured regenerators are usually the best choice when rotating valve distribution systems are adopted. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Analysis of a Trigeneration Plant under Transient Operating Conditions

Abstract A dynamic lumped-parameters model has been developed in order to analyse the performance of a combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) plant during transient load variations. The plant allows the waste heat recovery from four Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) to produce simultaneously refrigeration power for an absorption chiller, hot water for thermal user and electrical power. The heat recovery is realized through the exhaust gases, the jacket cooling water and the lubricant. The plant includes an auxiliary boiler, which maintains the water temperature levels to the values required by the absorption chiller, and a dry-cooler, which refrigerates the plant water before entering the internal combustion engines. Moreover, a three-way valve, which controls the water flow rate in order to satisfy both the refrigeration and the thermal loads, is considered. The simulations are carried out under thermal-drive and electric-drive strategy and the evaluation of the performance and time response of the CCHP apparatus are presented

Technical analysis of a renewable woody biomass generator/electrolyzer poly-generative system

In the REPowerEU plan, the European Commission has envisaged a rapid reduction in dependence on fossil fuels, an acceleration of the green transition and has shown its willingness to tackle the climate crisis by resorting to greater and better use of renewable energy sources. Furthermore, from 2035 the “Fit for 55” climate package aims to reduce emissions of pollutants and climate-altering gas emissions and to encourage the diffusion of new pure electric or fuel cell hybrid electric vehicles. In this context, this article deals with a poly-generative energy system for the production of H2, electric and thermal powers. It is able to satisfy the new vehicles needs and/or the electric/thermal loads of a rural building located in Rende (Italy, Lat. 39.3°N) on two typical winter and summer days. The poly-generative system is mainly composed of an energy system fed by woody biomass in a cogenerative arrangement, a photovoltaic system and a PEM electrolyzer. Technical analysis of the system shows that for the mixed fleet of 30 vehicles the output electrical and thermal powers and hydrogen production are respectively of about 50 kW, 97 kW and 9.23 kg. Furthermore, the system covers totally the electric load on summer days and the thermal load for hot water production in the summer and winter days

Integrated Geothermal Energy Systems for Small-Scale Combined Heat and Power Production: Energy and Economic Investigation

In recent years, an increasing interest in geothermal energy has been registered in both the scientific community and industry. The present work aims to analyse the energy performance and the economic viability of an innovative high-efficiency geothermal-driven integrated system for a combined heat and power (CHP) application. The system consists of a heat exchanger (HEX) and a transcritical organic Rankine cycle (ORC) that work in parallel to exploit a high-temperature geothermal source (230 °C) and satisfy the energy demand of a commercial centre located in Southern Italy. The ORC and HEX sub-units can operate at partial load to increase the system flexibility and to properly react to continuous changes in energy request. A lumped model was developed to find the proper operating conditions and to evaluate the energy production on an hourly basis over the whole year. In particular, a multi-variable optimisation was implemented to find the most suitable configuration and a 101.4 kWel ORC was selected while the HEX nominal power was 249.5 kWth. The economic viability of the integrated system was evaluated in terms of net present value and payback period and different operating strategies were compared: thermal-driven, electric-driven, and a mixed strategy. The latter turned out to be the best solution according to both energy and economic criteria, with electric and thermal self-consumptions larger than 90%, with no heat dumping and a payback time close to five years

Energy analysis of Organic Rankine Cycles for biomass applications

The present paper aims at analysing the performances of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORCs) adopted for the exploitation of the biomass resulting from the pruning residues in a 3000 hectares district in Southern Italy. A parametric energy analysis has been carried out to define the influence of the main plant operating conditions. To this purpose, both subcritical and transcritical power plants have been examined and saturated and superheated conditions at the turbine inlet have been imposed. Moreover, the effect of the working fluid, condensation temperature, and internal regeneration on system performances has been investigated. The results show that ORC plants represent an interesting and sustainable solution for decentralised and small-scale power production. Furthermore, the analysis highlights the significant impact of the maximum temperature and the noticeable effect of internal regeneration on the performances of the biomass power plants

Energy and Economic Investigation of a Biodiesel-Fired Engine for Micro-Scale Cogeneration

The work aims at investigating the techno-economic performance of a biodiesel micro combined heat and power (CHP) system for residential applications. The CHP unit is based on a direct-injection compression ignition engine providing 6.7 kWel and 11.3 kWth. A 0D model is developed and validated to characterise the behaviour of the biodiesel-fired engine at full and partial load in terms of efficiency, fuel consumption, and emissions. Furthermore, non-dimensional polynomial correlations are proposed to foresee the performance of biodiesel-fuelled engines for micro-CHP applications at partial loads. Afterwards, the CHP system is adopted to satisfy the electric and thermal demand of domestic users in Southern Italy. To this purpose, a parametric analysis is performed considering a different number of apartments and operating strategies (electric-driven and thermal-driven). A bi-variable optimisation based on the primary energy saving (PES) index and payback period (PBT) permits selecting the thermal-driven strategy and five apartments as the most suitable solution. The optimal PBT and PES are equal to 5.3 years and 22.4%, respectively. The corresponding annual thermal self-consumption reaches 81.3% of the domestic request, and the thermal surplus is lower than 8%. Finally, a sensitivity analysis is adopted to define the influence of the costs of energy vectors and a cogeneration unit on the economic feasibility of the biodiesel CHP system. The analysis highlights that the investigated apparatus represents an attractive option to satisfy the energy requests in micro-scale applications, providing valuable energy and economic advantages compared to traditional energy production