Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Systems

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems utilise waste heat produced from industrial processes such as gas engine exhausts to provide additional electrical power. They can be used to generate additional electrical power for cogeneration plants using a surplus heat.

The Clean Cycle 125TMutilises the ORC technology to convert energy in the form of waste heat into useful electricity. The system is based around a four stage process outlined below:

  1. The working fluid is pumped to a high pressure and is passed through an evaporator where it absorbs heat.
  2. As the working fluid absorbs heat, it changes state to a high pressure vapour
  3. The high pressure vapour drives a turbine coupled to an electrical generator in the Integrated Power Module to produce 125 kW of electricity
  4. The fluid is turned back into a liquid at the condenser and the cycle starts over

GE’s Clean Cycle™ system, at full capacity, adds 125kW of electrical power output to a heat-generating application without consuming additional fuel. Operating at full load, one Clean Cycle™ system generates approximately 1 million kWh of electricity per year that would have otherwise been generated on the grid. This avoids more than 350 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of approximately 200 cars.