A Review on Combining Micro Gas Turbines with Organic Rankine Cycles

Abstract

Current energy conversion machines such as the micro gas turbine can be improved by harvesting the low-grade energy of the exhaust. A prominent option for such is the organic Rankine cycle due to its relatively efficient and reliable design. This manuscript presents a review on the subject and is the first step toward the design of an organic Rankine cycle bottoming a 100 kWe recuperated gas turbine. After introducing and covering the historical development of the technology, appropriate guidelines for defining the cycle arrangement and selecting the fluid are presented. At last, the viability of the cycle is assessed by assuming an appropriate efficiency value and general cost functions. The organic Rankine is expected to generate an additional 16.6 kWe of power, increasing the electrical efficiency from 30 to 35%. However, the capital cost increase was estimated in 48%.