Experimental and numerical analyses on a plate heat exchanger with phase change for waste heat recovery at off-design conditions

Abstract

This paper analyzes the performances of an evaporator for small scale waste heat recovery applications based on bottoming Organic Rankine Cycles with net output power in the range 2-5 kW. The heat recovery steam generator is a plate heat exchanger with oil as hot stream and an organic fluid on the cold side. An experimental characterization of the heat exchanger was carried out at different operating points measuring temperatures, pressures and flow rates on both sides. The measurement data further allowed to validate a numerical model of the evaporator whereas heat transfer coefficients were evaluated comparing several literature correlations, especially for the phase-change of the organic fluid. With reference to a waste heat recovery application in industrial compressed air systems, multiple off-design conditions were simulated considering the effects of oil mass flow rate and temperature on the superheating of the organic fluid, a key parameter to ensure a proper operation of the expansion machine, thus of the energy recovery process.