Radial Turbo-Expander Fluid Injection Without Axial Lengthening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems, injecting a fraction of the organic working fluid during expansion in turbo-expanders is challenging due to the limited axial dimension of axial turbo-expanders, leading to increased vibrations and precision requirements.
Innovation Solution
A single-rotary disc centrifugal radial turbo-expander with auxiliary openings between stages allows for fluid injection without lengthening the axial dimension, maintaining rotor dynamics and simplifying mechanical design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If axial turbo-expander is used with limited axial dimension, then compact structure is achieved, but fluid injection during expansion becomes challenging and vibrations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from an axial turbo-expander design to a radial turbo-expander design, changing the dimensional orientation of fluid flow and injection. In the radial design, fluid is injected from the center toward the periphery through the rotating disc, utilizing the radial dimension rather than the axial dimension, thereby enabling fluid injection without increasing axial length while avoiding the vibration problems of axial designs
2Ease of operation
If axial turbo-expander is lengthened to enable fluid injection, then injection capability is improved, but vibrations increase and mechanical precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The radial turbo-expander design allows fluid injection to occur in the radial plane rather than requiring axial extension. The injection system introduces fluid through the rotating disc from center to periphery, enabling effective fluid injection during expansion without lengthening the axial dimension, thus maintaining rotor dynamics stability and reducing vibrations
3Ease of manufacture
If radial turbo-expander with auxiliary openings is used, then fluid injection is simplified and rotor dynamics are maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the fluid injection system directly into the rotating disc structure by incorporating auxiliary openings within the disc itself. This merging of the injection system with the rotor structure eliminates the need for separate external injection mechanisms, simplifying the overall system while the radial design maintains rotor dynamics stability
Data Source
AI summary
An ORC system for generation of energy by Organic Rankine Cycle comprises a turbo-expander (40) of a radial centrifugal type formed by a single rotor disc (108) and provided with an auxiliary opening (40c). The auxiliary opening (40c) is interposed between an inlet (40a) and an outlet (40b) of the turbine (40) and is in fluid connection with an auxiliary circuit (1000, 2000), such as to extract from the turbo-expander (40) or inject into the turbo-expander (40) the organic working fluid at an intermediate pressure between an injection pressure and a discharge pressure.