Experimental development of a kilowatt-scale biomass fired micro - CHP unit based on ORC with rotary vane expander

Micro-cogeneration technologies currently available on the market are too expensive and requiring noble and expensive fuels. Also increasing renewables' shares should favour biomass as a cheap local and available fuel providing dispatchable power. We present a renewable solution based on woodchip combustion system coupled with ORC for applications replacing biomass boilers and producing electricity for own system consumption and a little bit extra. This work describes the design methodology as a complex issue from not only thermodynamic and technical perspective, but also economical and legal. Finally, the technical specifications and operational characteristics of the constructed micro-cogeneration ORC biomass fired system which is in a pre-pilot application stage are presented. This work follows as an extension and follow-up on a paper presented in IV International Seminar on ORC Power Systems, ORC2017, 13-15 September 2017, Milano, Italy. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.