Experimental setup of a cascaded two-stage organic Rankine cycle

In combination with a bottoming cycle, operated with a pure fluid in transcritical mode, the usage of a zeotropic mixture as a working fluid appears to be exergetically favorable for power cycle efficiency in cascaded two-stage organic Rankine cycles (CORC). A CORC is set up and initially tested with cyclopentane and propane as working fluids in its high temperature and low temperature cycle, respectively. A thermal oil cycle serves as the heat source and is powered electrically with a maximum heat flow of 158 kW. The design of this experimental setup allows for a rapid replacement of individual component: and for a wide range of conditions in terms of fluids and thermodynamic states. The components of al, cycles and the measurement and control technology are described in detail. A testing procedure is presented, followed by a discussion of the measurement results, where it is shown that the intended concept of two cascaded organic Rankine cycles is operational and that the measured data are consistent. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved