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Investigation of waste heat recovery system at supercritical conditions with vehicle drive cycles

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Abstract

Waste heat recovery (WHR) for internal combustion engines in vehicles using Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has been a promising technology. The operation of the ORC WHR system in supercritical conditions has a potential to generate more power output and thermal efficiency compared with the conventional subcritical conditions. However, in supercritical conditions, the heat transfer process in the evaporator, the key component of the ORC WHR system, becomes unpredictable as the thermo-physical properties of the working fluid change with the temperature. Furthermore, the transient heat source from the vehicle’s exhaust makes the operation of the WHR system difficult. We investigated the performance of the ORC WHR system at supercritical conditions with engine’s exhaust data from real city and highway drive cycles. The effects of operating variables, such as refrigerant flow rates, evaporator and condenser pressure, and evaporator outlet temperature, on the performance indicators of the WHR system in supercritical conditions were examined. Simulation of operating parameters and the boundary of the WHR system are also included in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 5AH, UK

    Jahedul Islam Chowdhury, Bao Kha Nguyen & David Thornhill

Authors
  1. Jahedul Islam Chowdhury
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  2. Bao Kha Nguyen
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  3. David Thornhill
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bao Kha Nguyen.

Additional information

Recommended by Associate Editor Chang Yong Park

Jahedul Islam Chowdhury received M.Sc. in Thermal Power and Fluid Engineering from the University Manchester, UK in 2013. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen’s University Belfast, UK. His research interests are simulation and control of waste heat recovery system, organic Rankine cycle, energy conversion, thermo-fluid analysis, and heat transfer simulation.

Bao Kha Nguyen is currently a Lecturer at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Queen's University Belfast, UK. His research interests focus on control systems, mechatronics, robotics, industrial automation, design and implementation of real time control systems for industrial applications using intelligent control algorithms: Fuzzy logic, neural network, genetic algorithm and advanced control techniques including adaptive, predictive, robust, and optimal control.

David Thornhill started his engineering career with Weslake and Company in 1977. In 1988 he moved to Belfast to study for a Ph.D. undertaking a project to design, simulate and manufacture a 3.6 litre V6 two-stroke engine for Jaguar Cars. He then worked full time programming a generalized version of an engine simulation program used by a number of major car manufacturers. Since 1995 he has been an academic in the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Queen’s University Belfast specializing in energy conserving research projects.

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Chowdhury, J.I., Nguyen, B.K. & Thornhill, D. Investigation of waste heat recovery system at supercritical conditions with vehicle drive cycles. J Mech Sci Technol 31, 923–936 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-017-0145-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-017-0145-x

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