Cascaded waste-heat recovery as a green technology for energy sustainability in power generation

In this work, the Cascaded waste-heat recovery (WHR) is analyzed from the thermodynamic point of view. Typically, WHR is most effective with small gas turbines and old machines which have a relatively higher design mass flow per kW and higher exhaust temperatures than new designs. The working fluid used in the WHR technology is propane, which vaporizes and condenses at low temperatures. The temperature of the heat source, the outlet pressure of the two expanders, and the mass flow rate of the working fluid are assumed as working variables of the technology. The effect of these variables on the thermal efficiency and power output is evaluated. The obtained results are analyzed and discussed. The results of the calculation are also compared with similar published studies. The overall efficiency considering the gas turbine upstream ranges from about 35% up to 39%. The highest efficiency and power output of the WHR alone at 900K heat source temperature, 800 kPa condenser pressure, and 100 kg/s mass-flow rate are 30% and 18MW, respectively, for two-expander WHR, and 18% and 9MW, respectively, for single expander WHR. Copyright (C) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.