[home] [Personal Program] [Help]

---

Session: Parallel Session: Working fluids
Session starts: Friday 23 September, 14:00
Presentation starts: 14:20
Room: Senaatszaal

---

Anna Lis Laursen (GE Global Research)
Pierre Huck (GE Global Research)

Abstract:
A Department of Energy funded study of high-potential working fluids for Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) for use in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) has been conducted. The worked completed to date, in coordination with AltaRock Energy, Inc., characterized the performance of high-potential working fluids for EGS resource temperatures. From an available list of more than 17,000 pure components, 35 working fluids were identified as high-potential. In addition to the numerous fluids that were screened from commonly available sources, additional fluids were screened from vendors that are less common or even not on the market yet. An additional 3 working fluids were included for comparison to the current state-of-the-art. The performance of the working fluids was evaluated in a subcritical ORC, supercritical ORC, and trilateral flash cycle and compared to the performance in baseline subcritical ORCs. The primary advantage of the supercritical cycle over the subcritical cycle is a better match between resource cooling curve and working fluid heating curve. The lack of constant temperature evaporation allows the heat source to be cooled to a lower temperature despite a similar pinch point as in a comparable subcritical cycle leading to greater utilization of the geothermal resource. The topics that will be presented include a cycle performance comparison and its impact on traditional working fluid (R134a, 245fa, n-butane and n-pentane) resulting in a 30-50% increase in net power output. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Program under Award Number DE-EE0002769. Disclaimer “This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty express or imply, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe on privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.