Waste Heat Recovery – Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)

[Click image to see video]

Our first prototype Waste Heat Recovery Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) system test just before the winter Holiday season.  We wrapped some short lengths of tubing around the exhaust ducts of a factory that uses ovens for baked-on paint finishes of steel parts. 

This is the least ideal and most crude form of heat extraction but it is completely non-intrusive to the factory equipment.  We can run the system with absolutely no adverse effects on the factory process.  We can also fully integrate the system to access all of the waste heat for maximum efficiency if desired.

Using a low boiling point, non toxic, non ozone depleting, non flammable ORC fluid (R245FA), we ran a 3-phase AC permanent magnet generator and made some power.  As you can see in the video, it easily powered six 100-watt light bulbs and all the mechanical drive gear with less than 100 psig system pressure. 

This system configuration using the full exhaust heat flow could generate up to 50 kW using a larger generator.