Attila R. Imre

In order to lessen reliance on fossil fuels, a rise in interest in the utilization of fluctuating and intermittent heat sources derived from renewable energy (such as solar thermal, ocean thermal, and geothermal) and waste heat has been observed. These heat sources could be used to generate electricity at relatively low and medium temperatures, for example, through the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). In some case studies, various approaches have been developed to deal with and design ORCs in the desired operating condition utilizing suitable working fluids. This article aims to review some designs and integrated systems of ORC with thermal energy storage (TES) and a two-phase expansion system focusing on the utilization of medium- and low-temperature heat sources in which some subcritical ORCs are presented. Moreover, several possible control systems (both conventional and advanced ones) of ORC with TES and a two-phase expansion system are reported and compared. At the end of this article, the possible future developments of design and control systems are discussed to describe advanced ORC for utilizing low-grade heat sources. This study aims to provide researchers and engineers with an insight into the challenges involved in this process, making industrialization of ORC technology more extensive, in particular when combined with TES and a two-phase expansion system.

Carbon-dioxide-based trans-critical power cycle is a novel technology for waste heat recovery. This technology can handle the high-temperature exhaust gas and can be built in a compact size, which is an important feature for the auxiliary equipment for an internal combustion engine. To obtain the best output, four configurations were constructed: the basic system; one with preheater, another with regenerator and a fourth with preheater and regenerator. Special features of supercritical CO 2 make these cycles able to recover more energy than the traditional organic Rankine cycle. According to this study, heat regeneration increases thermal efficiency while preheating influences the net power output. Thus, it is beneficial to add both regenerator and preheater to the basic cycle.