Organic rankine cycle systems using waste heat from charge air cooling

Abstract

The present application and the resultant patent provide a waste heat recovery system for recovering heat from a number of turbocharger stages. The waste heat recovery system may include a simple organic rankine cycle system and a number of charge air coolers in communication with the turbocharger stages and the simple organic rankine cycle system. The charge air coolers are positioned in a number of parallel branches of the simple organic rankine cycle system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present application and the resultant patent relate generally to power generation systems and more particularly relate to systems for recovering waste heat from charge air cooling of a turbocharger with the use of a simple organic rankine cycle system.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Enormous amounts of waste heat are generated by a wide variety of industrial and commercial processes and operations. Example sources of waste heat include heat from space heating assemblies, steam boilers, engines, and cooling systems. With the use of low grade waste heat, such as waste heat having a temperature of below about 400 degrees Fahrenheit (about 204 degrees Celsius) for example, conventional heat recovery systems generally do not operate with sufficient efficiency to make the recovery of energy cost effective. The net result is that vast quantities of waste heat are simply dumped into the atmosphere, the ground, the water, or other types of surroundings without produ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

With the use of low grade waste heat, such as waste heat having a temperature of below about 400 degrees Fahrenheit (about 204 degrees Celsius) for example, conventional heat recovery systems generally do not operate with sufficient efficiency to make the recovery of energy cost effective.

The net result is that vast quantities of waste heat are simply dumped into the atmosphere, the ground, the water, or other types of surroundings without producing useful work.

The efficient integration of low temperature heat sources into a simple organic rankine cycle system to increase net power output, however, may pose thermodynamic challenges.

Specifically, the low temperature heat sources generally compete against each other in terms of temperature and capacitance rate such that the overall recovery of heat may be limited.

For example, the waste heat of one or more charge air coolers may be incorporated into an organic rankine cycle system that otherwise would be dissipated without producing useful work.

Images