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Offshore wind technology is rapidly developing and a wind farm can be integrated with offshore power stations. This paper considers as case study a futuristic platform powered by a wind farm and three combined cycle units consisting of a gas turbine and an ORC (organic Rankine cycle) module. The first aim of this paper is to identify the maximum amount of wind power that can be integrated into the system, without compromising the electric grid balance. The stability of the grid is tested using a dynamic model of the power system based on first principles. Additionally, the dynamics of the system is compared with a simplified plant consisting of three gas turbines and a wind farm, in order to identify benefits of the installation of the ORC system. The maximum allowable wind power is 10 MW for a nominal platform load of 30 MW. The results show that the presence of the ORC system allows decreasing frequency oscillations and fuel consumptions of the platform, with respect to the simplified configuration. On the other hand, the dynamic response of the combined cycle units is slower due to the thermal inertia of the heat transfer equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international regulations on fuel efficiency and NO x emissions of commercial ships motivate the investigation of new system layouts, which can comply with the regulations. In combustion engines, measures to reduce the fuel consumption often lead to increased NO x emissions and careful consideration of this trade-off mechanism is required in the design of marine propulsion systems. This study investigates five different configurations of two-stroke diesel-based machinery systems for large ships and their influence on the mentioned trade-off. Numerical models of a low-speed two-stroke diesel engine, turbochargers and an ORC (organic Rankine cycle), are used for the optimisation of the NO x and fuel consumption at design and part-load conditions, using a multi-objective genetic algorithm. Moreover, the effects of engine tuning and exhaust gas recirculation are investigated. The results suggest that increased system complexity can lead to lower fuel consumption and NO x . Fuel consumption reductions of up to 9% with a 6.5% NO x reduction were achieved using a hybrid turbocharger and organic Rankine cycle waste heat recovery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article presents a methodology to help in the definition of the optimal design of power generation systems. The innovative element is the integration of requirements on dynamic performance into the system design procedure. Operational flexibility is an increasingly important specification of power systems for base- and part-load operation. Thus, it is crucial to discard, in an early phase of the design process, plant configurations which feature unacceptable dynamic performance. The test case is the preliminary design of an off-grid power plant serving an off-shore platform where one of the three gas turbines is combined with an organic Rankine cycle turbogenerator to increase the overall energy efficiency. The core of the procedure is a stationary model, capable of performing the on-design thermodynamic cycle calculation, and the design of the components of the system. The results of these simulations are used within the framework of a multi-objective optimization procedure to identify a number of equally optimal system configurations. A dynamic model of each of these systems is automatically parameterized, by inheriting its parameters values from the design model. Dynamic simulations allow then to discriminate among the initial set of solutions, thus providing the designs that also comply with dynamic requirements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Highlights: [•] Theory of power maximization used to design an air bottoming cycle. [•] Theory of power maximization extended by a multi-objective optimization method. [•] Three objective functions considered: net power output, recuperator volume and net present value. [•] Comparison between the theory of power maximization and the multi-objective optimization method. [•] Case study: a methodology applied to recover exhaust heat on off-shore platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Much attention is focused on increasing the energy efficiency to decrease fuel costs and CO2 emissions throughout industrial sectors. The ORC (organic Rankine cycle) is a relatively simple but efficient process that can be used for this purpose by converting low and medium temperature waste heat to power. In this study we propose four linear regression models to predict the maximum obtainable thermal efficiency for simple and recuperated ORCs. A previously derived methodology is able to determine the maximum thermal efficiency among many combinations of fluids and processes, given the boundary conditions of the process. Hundreds of optimised cases with varied design parameters are used as observations in four multiple regression analyses. We analyse the model assumptions, prediction abilities and extrapolations, and compare the results with recent studies in the literature. The models are in agreement with the literature, and they present an opportunity for accurate prediction of the potential of an ORC to convert heat sources with temperatures from 80 to 360 °C, without detailed knowledge or need for simulation of the process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A 100 kWe hybrid plant consisting of gasification system, solid oxide fuel cells and organic Rankine cycle is presented. The nominal power is selected based on cultivation area requirement. For the considered output a land of around 0.5 km2 needs to be utilized. Woodchips are introduced into a fixed bed gasification plant to produce syngas which fuels the combined solid oxide fuel cells – organic Rankine cycle system to produce electricity. More than a hundred fluids are considered as possible alternative for the organic cycle using non-ideal equations of state (or state-of-the-art equations of state). A genetic algorithm is employed to select the optimal working fluid and the maximum pressure for the bottoming cycle. Thermodynamic and physical properties, environmental impacts and hazard specifications are also considered in the screening process. The results suggest that efficiencies in the region of 54–56% can be achieved. The highest thermal efficiency (56.4%) is achieved with propylcyclohexane at 15.9 bar. A comparison with the available and future technologies for biomass to electricity conversion is carried out. It is shown that the proposed system presents twice the thermal efficiency achieved by simple and double stage organic Rankine cycle plants and around the same efficiency of a combined gasification, solid oxide fuel cells and micro gas turbine plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Oil and gas platforms in the North Sea region are associated with high power consumption and large CO2-emissions, as the processing and utility plants suffer from significant changes in production rates and performance losses over the field lifespan. In this paper, a generic model of the overall offshore system is described: its thermodynamic performance is assessed by performing an exergy accounting and rules of thumb for oil and gas platforms are derived. Simulations are built and conducted with the tools Aspen Plus®, Dynamic Network Analysis and Aspen HYSYS®. 62–65% of the total exergy destruction of an offshore platform is attributable to the power generation and waste heat recovery system, and 35–38% to the oil and gas processing. The variability of the feed composition has little effect on the split of the thermodynamic irreversibilities between both plants. The rejection of high-temperature gases from the utility and flaring systems is the major contributor to the exergy losses. These findings suggest to focus efforts on a better use of the waste heat contained in the exhaust gases and on the ways in which the gas compression performance can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper aims at finding the optimal design of MW-size organic Rankine cycles by employing the multi-objective optimization with the genetic algorithm as the optimizer. We consider three objective functions: thermal efficiency, total volume of the system and net present value. The optimization variables are the working fluid, the turbine inlet pressure and temperature, the condensing temperature, the pinch points and the fluid velocities in the heat exchangers. The optimization process also includes the complete design of the shell and tube heat exchangers utilized in the organic Rankine cycle. The methodology is applied to recover the waste heat from the SGT-500 gas turbine installed on the Draugen off-shore oil and gas platform in the North Sea. Results suggest two optimal working fluids, i.e. acetone and cyclopentane. Thermal efficiency and net present value are higher for cyclopentane than for acetone. Other promising working fluids are cyclohexane, hexane and isohexane. The present methodology can be utilized in waste heat recovery applications where a compromise between performance, compactness and economic revenue is required. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Power cycles using alternative working fluids are currently receiving significant attention. Selection of working fluid among many candidates is a key topic and guidelines have been presented. A general problem is that the selection is based on numerous criteria, such as thermodynamic performance, boundary conditions, hazard levels and environmental concerns. A generally applicable methodology, based on the principles of natural selection, is presented and used to determine the optimum working fluid, boiler pressure and Rankine cycle process layout for scenarios related to marine engine heat recovery. Included in the solution domain are 109 fluids in sub and supercritical processes, and the process is adapted to the properties of the individual fluid. The efficiency losses caused by imposing process constraints are investigated to help propose a suitable process layout. Hydrocarbon dry type fluids in recuperated processes produced the highest efficiencies, while wet and isentropic fluids were superior in non-recuperated processes. The results suggested that at design point, the requirements of process simplicity, low operating pressure and low hazard resulted in cumulative reductions in cycle efficiency. Furthermore, the results indicated that non-flammable fluids were able to produce near optimum efficiency in recuperated high pressure processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As Arctic sea ice coverage declines it is expected that marine traffic could increase in this northern region due to shorter routes. Navigating in the Arctic offers opportunities and challenges for waste heat recovery systems (WHRS). Lower temperatures require larger heating power on board, hence a larger demand for waste heat usage, to cover services and maintaining on board spaces temperatures. However, a lower heat rejection temperature increases the WHRS thermal efficiency. The air temperature for the Arctic route selected is colder than that of the seawater, opening the opportunity of having air as coolant. This paper explores the use of two different coolants, air and seawater, for an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) unit using the available waste heat in the scavenge air system of a container ship navigating in Arctic Circle. Using a two-step single objective optimisation process, detailed models of air and seawater heat exchangers are evaluated as the WHRS condensers. The results suggest that an ORC unit using R1233zd(E) as its working fluid coupled with seawater as its coolant is the preferable option to reduce CO 2 emissions. Using the ambient air as the coolant while a less effective option could be cheaper to install. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electricity and power produced from waste heat is particularly relevant in shipping because fuel expenses constitute the majority of the cost of operating the ships; however, the cost-benefit aspect limits the widespread implementation of waste heat recovery power units on ships. This paper presents the thermodynamic analysis of a concept that aims at reducing the cost of an organic Rankine cycle unit by using one of the cylinders in a large diesel engine as expansion device. Numerical models were used to optimise the process parameters and thereby determine the power potential for this concept. The evaluation of 104 working fluids points to cyclopropane, R245fa and R1234ze(z) as the most promising. The results suggest that the power produced by the organic Rankine cycle cylinder is at least equivalent to that of the cylinders operating with the diesel process. This enables potential fuel savings and emissions reductions of about 8.3% in the studied scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]