ORC in Biogas Plants

Current biogas plants are capable of reaching an electrical efficiency of up to 40%, based on the primary energy source, methane. Input compensation is regulated by law, but often there is no potential for the use of the heat energy generated. At about 50%, this represents a considerable proportion. Our primary goal is the conversion of the highest possible amount of this “waste heat” into electric energy. The Organic Rankine Cycle offers an outstanding potential to realize this goal. Using the ORC process, part of the available heat can be converted into electricity. The overall electrical efficiency of the biogas plant can thus be increased up to 44%.

ORC in Biomass Plants

The term “biomass plant” covers all plants that use biomass as an input substrate, except those that use biogas. As a rule, these plants burn biomass while – just as in a classic power plant – a transfer medium such as water or thermal oil is evaporated or heated. Frequently these plants exceed a size of 1 MW. For years, this service sector has included ORC specialists. A different scenario is presented when the goal is decentralization. Our ORC-a^®125LT system can also be cascaded; therefore we are able to offer competitive ORC solutions up to an electric output of ca. 500 kW. The process involves heating thermal oil in a boiler powered with biomass. The oil is then distributed to the different ORCa^® modules (thermal oil cycle). The advantage of this solution lies in the scalability to different outputs by alternately turning modules on and off.

ORC in Plants with Industrial Waste Heat

As a rule, large amounts of available waste heat are already used quite efficiently (through heat pumps etc.), whereas small and medium-sized amounts are still utilized insufficiently. The disadvantage of traditional recovery systems is that waste heat and usable heat are always generated at the same time. If there are temporal or spatial differences in the availability of waste heat and the need for usable heat, elaborate storage or forwarding methods are required that are often inefficient or technologically difficult to realize. ORmatiC GmbH offers an ORCa^® system that can help convert low temperature heat into electricity. Usable waste heat temperatures lie between 180°C and 500°C, and it is possible to achieve an electrical efficiency between 15% and 25%.

Potential customers for this type of plant are all companies and firms that generate unutilized waste heat, such as glass factories, cement works, refineries, trash incinerators, bio-composting plants, etc.

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