Thermo-Economic Analysis of Waste Heat Recovery

ORC Using Zeotropic Mixtures

Saili Li 1 and Yiping Dai 2

Abstract: Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has been examined as an effective way to recovery waste heat from industrial manufacture.
The effects of internal heat exchanger (IHE) and superheat degree on the thermoeconomic performance of ORC are presented in this paper.
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Zeotropic mixtures are employed in the simulation and six indicators are used to evaluate the system performance, as follows: (1) net power
output, (2) thermal efficiency, (3) exergy efficiency, (4) cost per net power output (CPNPO), (5) area of the heat changers per net power output
(APNPO), and (6) energy saving and emission reduction performance (ESERP). The results indicate that the more volatile pure component
has a higher increasing rate of net power output when IHE is equipped. The IHE has a greater impact on thermal efficiency and exergy
efficiency of the ORC with zeotropic mixtures than that of the ORC with pure fluid. For the ORC with both mixtures and pure component, the
rising superheat degree results to the decline of the net power output but increase of the thermal efficiency, and exergy efficiency at the
constant turbine inlet pressure. Both the basic ORC and regenerative ORC with zeotropic mixtures have a better economic performance than
that with pure fluid. In addition, superheat degree has a negative effect on the economic performance of ORC with more volatile component
mixtures. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)EY.1943-7897.0000245. © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Author keywords: Thermoeconomic analysis; Organic Rankine cycle (ORC); Waste heat recovery; Zeotropic mixtures.

Introduction In recent years, a novel concept of using zeotropic mixtures as

Over half of the low-grade waste heat from industry plants is
directly emitted to the atmosphere, resulting in the low energy uti-
lization and environmental problems, including global warming
and ozone depletion (Astolfi et al. 2011; Glasnovic and Margeta
2010; Li et al. 2013; Yamamoto et al. 2001). Lime manufacture
is one of the most energy intensive and greenhouse gas producing
industrial processes in existence. Significant heat energy is mainly
lost through hot flue gases, cooler stack, and kiln shell. The organic
Rankine cycle (ORC) and Kalina cycle have been examined to be
available to convert the waste heat to clean electricity with no addi-
tional fossil fuels and CO2 emissions. The ORC uses the waste heat
to vaporize the low-boiling working fluid, which in turn drives a
microturbine generator (ZKG 2013). Since the working fluid is a
key factor for the system behavior and economic performance,
much research has been discussed about the selections of working
fluid which is suited for different conditions.
Chen et al. (2010) analyzed 35 pure working fluid candidates
and Saleh et al. (2007) investigated 31 pure fluids. Since the re-
search on pure fluid is relatively mature, the ORC with pure fluid
will not be introduced at great length in this paper. Isothermal
evaporation and condensation occur at the ORC with pure fluid so
the temperature profiles of the heat source and cooling fluid cannot
match well with that of the working fluids closely, resulting in a
large irreversibility.
1
Institute of Turbomachinery, Xi’an Jiaotong Univ., Xi’an 710049,
China.
2
Professor, Institute of Turbomachinery, Xi’an Jiaotong Univ., Xi’an
710049, China (corresponding author). E-mail: ypdai@mail.xjtu.edu.cn;
daiyiping.turbine@gmail.com; lisaili198814@gmail.com
Note. This manuscript was submitted on April 5, 2014; approved on
September 18, 2014; published online on October 23, 2014. Discussion
period open until March 23, 2015; separate discussions must be submitted
for individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Energy Engi-
neering, © ASCE, ISSN 0733-9402/04014050(16)/$25.00.
the working fluid in ORC was presented. The merits of zeotropic
mixtures were highlighted by some articles. Chys et al. (2012) pre-
sented a selection method to get the optimal concentration for
cycle efficiency and net power output. Moreover, Chys et al. (2012)
studied the influence of the heat source temperature on the cycle
efficiency. However, the heat source outlet temperature was fixed
which it is difficult to achieve in reality. In addition, the variation of
heat transfer coefficient in boiling heat transfer and the economic
performance were ignored. Chen et al. (2011) investigated a super-
critical ORC employing R123a/R32 as the working fluid and found
that zeotropic mixtures were helpful to the thermal efficiency and
exergy efficiency. But Chen et al. (2011) did not discuss the impact
of component concentration on the system performance and the
internal heat exchanger was not included in the system. Wang and
Zhao (2009) compared the thermal efficiency of the ORC with
three different concentrations of R245fa/R152 to that of the ORC
with pure R245fa and noted that the ORC with zeotropic mixtures
need smaller dimension expander than that with pure fluid under
the same expansion power output. Heberle et al. (2012) examined a
simulation of the ORC with isobutene/isopentane and R227ea/
R245fa depending on the variation of mixture concentrations, heat
source temperature, and temperature difference of cooling water.
Adoption of zeotropic mixtures led to an exergy efficiency increase
in comparison to pure fluid. The deficiencies of Heberle et al.
(2012) on other thermodynamic parameters such as net power
output, thermal efficiency, and mass flow of working fluid were
not under consideration. Garg et al. (2013) analyzed an ORC using
R245fa/isopentane to convert low grade thermal energy to elec-
trical energy and suggested that the flammability of isopentane
and high global warming potential (GWP) of R245fa can be obvi-
ated by employing the mixture fluids.
However, the results that zeotropic mixtures have no advantages
over the pure fluid were concluded by some scholars. Angelino and
Di Paliano (1998) pointed out that the temperature glide appears in
the heat transfer process in the ORC with zeotropic mixtures, which
alleviates the temperature mismatch between hot side and cold side

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 in the two-phase heat transfer region. The efficiency of the ORC
with zeotropic mixtures was lower than that of the ORC with pure
working fluid (Angelino and Di Paliano 1998). However, the
conclusion may be not accurate because the researchers selected
n-pentane as the pure working fluid which is not a component of
the zeotropic mixture (butane=n-hexane). Li et al. (2011) discussed
the influence of internal heat exchanger on ORC and found that the
ORC with zeotropic mixtures (R141 b/RC318) have lower effi-
ciency than that with pure component (R141 b). However, the com-
parison has limitation that the flow rate of working fluids was fixed,
resulting in a difference on evaporation temperature that affects the
Carnot theory.
A review of the literature shows that the superiority of zeotropic
mixtures is determined by specific working condition. For a sloping
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temperature profile, the zeotropic mixtures may be more beneficial

than the pure fluid. In addition, none of the scholars focus on the
economic performance of ORC with zeotropic mixtures. However,
high thermal and exergy efficiency could not ensure a superior
economic performance of the ORC system. Considering about the
discussion presented previously, a thermoeconomic analysis of the
ORC with zeotropic mixtures is presented in this paper, which can
provide better insight to planners who intend to apply ORC to prac-
tical application.
R123/R245fa and isobutane/isopentane in several concentra-
tions were selected as the working fluid. First, thermodynamic and
economic model were built and six mainly indicators [(1) thermal
efficiency, (2) second law efficiency, (3) net power output, (4) cost
per net power output (CPNPO), (5) area of the heat changers per net
power output (APNPO), and (6) energy saving and emission reduc-
tion performance (ESERP)] were employed to examine the system Fig. 1. Schematic diagrams: (a) basic ORC; (b) regenerative ORC
performance with the superheat degree. The optimum values of
each indictor were conducted by means of genetic algorithm (GA)
to judge the effects of internal heat exchanger (IHE) on the ORC
with zeotropic mixtures. Additionally, an enhanced logarithmic Table 1. Typical Exhaust Gas Side Conditions of Evaporator
mean temperature difference (LMTD) method was utilized to make
Item Value
the heat exchanger area calculation more accurate.
Exhaust gas inlet temperature (°C) 250
Exhaust gas outlet temperature (°C) 55
Exhaust gas inlet pressure (kPa) 200.2
Description and Modeling of the System Mass flow rate of the exhaust gas (kg=s) 26.86
Dustiness of exhaust gas (kg=m3 ) 0.05
A basic ORC and a regenerative ORC is analyzed in this paper. The Composition of exhaust gas (M %) N2 , 62.84; O2 , 7.91; H2 O,
basic ORC mainly consists of a working fluid pump, an evaporator, 1.6; CO2 , 27.65
a turbine, and a condenser. Besides for the components mentioned
previously, an IHE is added in the regenerative ORC.
The system operation process is described briefly in the sub-
sequent text. The working fluid at the condenser outlet (State 1) Table 2. Initial and Boundary Conditions of the Simulation
is pumped into high pressure (State 2) and then flows into the
Item Value
evaporator, being heated into vapor by the exhaust gas. In order to
avoid the harmful wet stroke in the turbine, the saturated or over- Temperature of environment (°C) 20
Temperature of the geothermal water (°C) 120
heated vapor must be guaranteed at the inlet of the turbine. The high
Temperature of the cooling water (°C) 17
pressure and temperature vapor (State 3) flows into the turbine Pinch temperature difference in evaporator (°C) 5
where the shaft power drives the generator. The low pressure vapor Pinch temperature difference in preheater (°C) 10
(State 4) cools down in the condenser. In the regenerative cycles, Turbine isentropic efficiency (%) 75
the working fluid is preheated in the IHE before it is heated in the Pump isentropic efficiency (%) 70
evaporator. The schematic diagrams of the processes described Generator efficiency (%) 97
previously are illustrated in Fig. 1.
In the research reported in this paper, the exhaust gas of lime
kiln after the primary heat supply is employed as the heat source.
The exhaust gas consists of SOx and NOx in reality but it will be Thermodynamic Modeling
simplified in this paper while the accuracy of results is not affected The energy and exergy analysis based on the first and second laws
too much. The specific conditions of exhaust gas are listed in of thermodynamics are presented. For simplicity, the pressure drop
Table 1 and the initial and boundary conditions of the simulation in evaporator, condenser, IHE, and pipes are set as 100 kPa, and the
are listed in Table 2. heat loss by radiation is ignored. The system is assumed to be at

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 Table 3. Mathematical Model of the Basic ORC
Component Energy relations Exergy destruction
Pump W PP;wf ¼ M wf · ðh2 − h1 Þ ¼ ½M wf · ðh2 s − h1 Þ=ηPP I pp;wf ¼ W pp;wf þ E1 − E2
Evaporator Qeva ¼ Mwf · ðh3 − h2 Þ ¼ M gw · ðh5 − h6 Þ I eva ¼ E5 þ E2 − E6 − E3
Turbine W tur ¼ Mwf · ðh3 − h4 Þ ¼ M wf · ðh3 − h4 s Þ · ηtur I tur ¼ E3 − W tur − E4
Condenser Qcon ¼ Mwf · ðh4 − h1 Þ ¼ M cw · ðh8 − h7 Þ I con ¼ E4 − E1

Table 4. Mathematical Model of the Regenerative ORC

Component Energy relations Exergy destruction
Pump W PP;wf ¼ M wf · ðh2 − h1 Þ ¼ ½M wf · ðh2 s − h1 Þ=ηPP I pp;wf ¼ W pp;wf þ E1 − E2
IHE Qreg ¼ Mwf · ðh2 IHE − h2 Þ ¼ M wf · ðh4 IHE − h4 Þ I reg ¼ E4 IHE þ E2 − E4 − E2 IHE
Qeva ¼ M wf · ðh3 − h2 IHE Þ ¼ Mgw · ðh5 − h6 Þ I eva ¼ E2 IHE þ E5 − E3 − E6
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Evaporator
Turbine W tur ¼ M wf · ðh3 − h4 IHE Þ ¼ M wf · ðh3 − h4 IHEs Þ · ηtur I tur ¼ E3 − W tur − E4 IHE
Condenser Qcon ¼ M wf · ðh4 − h1 Þ ¼ M cw · ðh8 − h7 Þ I con ¼ E4 − E1

equilibrium state. The thermodynamic properties of the working The heat transfer coefficient hsf of the working fluid in
fluids are calculated by REFPROP 9.0 (NIST 2010). The detailed single phase is given by the Petukhov correlation (Incropera and
mathematical models of the basic ORC and the regenerative ORC DeWitt 2002)
are listed in Tables 3 and 4.  γ 
The net power output W net of the power cycle systems can be Nusf λsf 8 Pr R λsf
hsf ¼ ¼ ð7Þ
given by D 12.7ðγ8Þ0.5 ðPr2=3 − 1Þ þ 1.07 D
W net ¼ W tur − W PP;wf − W bl − W PP;cw ð1Þ where
The exergy E is given by 1
γ¼ ð8Þ
ð1.82 ln R − 1.64Þ2
E ¼ M · ½h − h0 − T 0 · ðs − s0 Þ ð2Þ
The Reynolds number R is given by
The energy and exergy efficiencies (ηth and ηexg , respectively)
are generally defined as ðM=AÞDeq
R¼ ð9Þ
W net η
ηth ¼ ð3Þ
Qeva
where M = mass flow rate of the fluid in single phase.
P The Prandtl number Pr is given by
Ein − I W
ηexg ¼ ¼ P net ð4Þ cp η
Ein I þ W net Pr ¼ ð10Þ
λ
Calculation of Heat Exchanger Area The pressure drop Δp is given by
The counter-current design shell and tube heat exchanger is f · ðM=AÞ · ðN b þ 1Þ · d
employed in the power system. The working fluid flows inside Δp ¼ ð11Þ
2ρ · Deq ðηηm Þ0.14
the tube and exhaust gas or cooling water around them. The size
selection must guarantee a fully heat transfer in the heat exchanger.
where
In this model, a maximum outer shell diameter of 0.4 m has
been regarded as a reasonable limit for the system and the tube f ¼ expð0.576 − 0.19 ln RÞ ð12Þ
bundle with tube equivalent diameter Deq ¼ 10 mm has been set.
The heat exchangers consist of IHE, evaporator, and condenser. where f = friction coefficient for the shell. The friction coefficient
The heat transfer processes for single-phase flow and two-phase accounts for the entrance and exit losses.
flow are discussed in the subsequent paragraphs.
Two-Phase Flow
Single-Phase Flow It has been discussed that working fluid properties such as density,
The heat transfer in the single-phase region is given by viscosity, specific heat, and conductivity are changed within a
narrow range of temperature and pressure in the two-phase heat
QSp ¼ U Sp ASp Δtm ð5Þ transfer process. The commonly used LMTD method based on
the assumption that the heat transfer coefficient remains unchanged
1 1 1 may not be accurate enough. Therefore, the two-phase regions in
¼ þ þRf ð6Þ the evaporator and condenser are divided into n small sections. The
U Sp hhs hcs
thermodynamic and transport properties at each section are deter-
where the thermal resistance of the tube and fouling effect Rf has mined by the enthalpy difference and vapor quality of the section.
been assumed as 2.68 10−4 m2 K=W for all areas in the heat The counter-flow heat exchanging process for each section is
exchanger. shown by

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 Table 5. Cost of Each Component in the System
Component Dependent variable Cost (€)
Turbine Volume flow rate (m3 =s) 527.7
Ctur ¼ × 3.5 × 1.7 × C0tur and log C0tur ¼ 2.2659 þ 1.4398 × log W tur − 0.1776 × ðlog W tur Þ2
397
Heat exchanger Total area (m2 ) Che ¼ 190 þ 310Ahe
Working fluid pump Electrical power (W) Cpp ¼ 900ðW pp =300Þ0.25
Working fluid receiver Volume of receiver (L) Crec ¼ 31.5 þ 16V rec
Working fluid Mass of working fluid (kg) Cwf ¼ 20M
Other component None 800
Labor Total component Clab ¼ 0.3Ctotal

Qi ¼ U i Ai Δti ð13Þ Atotal

APNPO ¼ ð23Þ
W net
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Qi ¼ M hs ðhhs;iþ1 − hhs;i Þ ð14Þ

Qi ¼ M cs ðhcs;iþ1 − hcs;i Þ ð15Þ In order to obtain the total cost, a cost correlation is selected for
each component of the system (Quoilin et al. 2011). The correlation
ðT hs;iþ1 − T cs;iþ1 Þ − ðT hs;i − T cs;i Þ
Qi ¼ U i Ai h i ð16Þ (Table 5) is based on the assumption of the free maintenance and
T −T cs;iþ1
ln hs;iþ1
T hs;i −T cs;i insurance. Because of the power capacity of the system, axial ORC
turbine was selected and the cost of which is based on the rated
The area for each section is calculated and summed together in power of turbine (Turton 2012). The cost of the heat exchangers
this way. is based on the Belgian prices in the year 2010. The pump cost
For the working fluid in the evaporator, boiling heat transfer correlation is proposed by Bejan et al. (1996). The capacity of the
coefficient hi;tf presented by Gungor and Winterton (1987) is used liquid receiver is determined by the volume of receiver which is set
as 350 L. The total mass of working fluid in the system is deter-
hi;tf ¼ Ei hi;l ð17Þ mined by the mass flow rate of working fluid, length of the pipes,
and the fluid speed.
where The ORC can reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the
 0.75   emission of the greenhouse gas effectively. If the ORC with waste
x ρl
Ei ¼ 1 þ 3,000Bo0.86 þ 1.12 ð18Þ gas utilization is used to replace a petroleum-fired power plant, the
1−x ρv
saved petroleum M pe (L year−1 ) and reduced CO2 emission M em
and (kg year−1 ) can be roughly estimated by (Yamaguchi et al. 2006)
 
ð1 − xÞGDeq 0.8 0.4
hi;l ¼ 0.023 Pri ðλi;l =Deq Þ ð19Þ
ηl

For the working fluid in the condenser, heat transfer coefficient

presented by Shah (1979) is used
" #
0.76 0.04
3.8x ð1 − xÞ
hi;tp ¼ hi;l ð1 − xÞ0.8 þ ρg 0.38 ð20Þ
ρl

where
hi;l ¼ 0.023R0.8 0.4
i Pri ðλ=Deq Þ ð21Þ

Economic Modeling
It is necessary to analyze the economic performance of the ORC
with zeotropic mixtures. Three economic indicators are presented
by previous research and will be optimally analyzed in the research
reported in this paper.
The first indicator of the economic performance is defined as the
CPNPO expressed in k€ðkWÞ−1
Ctotal
CPNPO ¼ ð22Þ
W net

Bliem et al. (1996) and Wang et al. (2012) presented a conclu-

sion that the heat exchangers (evaporator and condenser) contribute
largely to the total cost in the low-temperature waste heat power
Fig. 2. T-s diagram of the ORC: (a) zeotropic mixture; (b) pure
plant. So the indicator of heat exchanger APNPO is used to exam-
fluid
ine the cost effective design of the heat exchanger

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Fig. 3. Temperature glide in evaporator and condenser of ORC with zeotropic

Table 6. Part Parameters of the Working Fluids

M pe ¼ 365th ape ðW tur − W pp Þ ð24Þ

Standard M em ¼ 365th aem ðW tur − W pp Þ ð25Þ

Working 34 safety Molecular tnbp tcrit pcrit GWP
fluid group mass (°C) (°C) (MPa) (100 year) ODP
where th = operation time per day; and ape and aem = petroleum
R123 B1 152.93 27.8 183.8 3.66 120 0.012 consumption and CO2 emission if 1 kWh of electrical energy is
R245fa B1 134.05 15.1 154.1 4.43 950 0 produced by a petroleum fire power plant. The values are assumed
Isobutane A3 58.12 −11.7 134.7 3.64 20 0 to be as follows: (1) th ¼ 24 h, (2) ape ¼ 0.266 L kWh−1 , and
Isopentane — 72.15 27.8 187.8 3.39 — 0
(3) aem ¼ 0.894 kg kWh−1 .

Fig. 4. Effect of IHE on net power output and corresponding increasing rate

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Fig. 5. Effect of IHE on thermal efficiency and corresponding increasing rate

Fig. 6. Effect of IHE on exergy efficiency and corresponding increasing rate

Working Fluids Proposed in this Paper
Zeotropic mixtures have been employed as the candidates for the
proposed ORC due to their thermophysical properties and stability.
A significant temperature glide occurs in the evaporator and con-
denser so the phase change of zeotropic mixtures is quite different
with that of pure fluid. This characteristic can be illustrated visually
in the T-s diagram of the cycle processes. Fig. 2 shows that 8 and
9°C of temperature glide occurred at evaporator and condenser of
the ORC with mixture of isobutane/isopentane (0.5=0.5), respec-
tively, and Fig. 3 illustrates the detailed temperature glide of two
kinds of zeotropic mixtures. The temperature glide makes working
fluid profile match with the heat source and cooling water profile in
a better way in the ORC with zeotropic mixtures than that with pure
isopentane. In addition, this characteristic enables more heat can be
recovered when an IHE is equipped. In a regenerative ORC, the
average evaporating temperature of the zeotropic mixtures will in-
crease and the average condensing temperature will decline. The
result shows that IHE has a positive effect on the thermoeconomic
performance. However, components with large difference in evapo-
ration temperature bring about a problem in phase-transition pro-
cess for mixture (Chys et al. 2012). In the evaporator or condenser,
when the volatile component is largely in the vapor state, the other
is still in liquid phase. A leakage may occur in the system, resulting

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Fig. 7. Effect of IHE on CPNPO and corresponding increasing rate

Fig. 8. Effect of IHE on APNPO and corresponding increasing rate

in a rapid concentration variation of the working fluid. In order to
avoid such problem, a maximum evaporation temperature differ-
ence of 45°C is considered. In the research reported in this paper,
R123/R245fa and isobutane/isopentane were selected as the zeo-
tropic mixtures. Concentration would be expressed in mass frac-
tion. The environment impacts and thermophysical properties of
each component are listed in Table 6.
Results and Discussion
APNPO, and ESERP were selected as the indicators and changed
with the turbine inlet pressure. A GA was employed to conduct the
optimum value of indicators for each concentration of zeotropic
mixtures. The increasing rate of each indicator was utilized to re-
flect the influence of IHE on system performance, which could be
expressed as
IndRg − Indbasic
ΔInd ¼ ð26Þ
Indbasic

Net Power Output

Effect of IHE on the ORC with Zeotropic Mixtures
The effect of IHE on net power output would be analyzed first.
In this section, the turbine inlet temperature was set as 390 K. Fig. 4 shows the dependence of the net power output and increasing
Net power output, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, CPNPO, rate of the zeotropic mixtures. The net power output of both the

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Fig. 9. Effect of IHE on ESERP

Fig. 10. Net power output and mass flow rate of working fluid versus superheat degree

basic ORC and regenerative ORC with two types of zeotropic mix-
tures reached a minimum (Fig. 4). The net power output of regen-
erative ORC was consistently above that of basic ORC and it shows
that IHE has a positive effect on the net power output of ORC. The
increasing rate of net power output declined with the mass fraction
of R123. The net power of the ORC with a higher concentration of
the volatile component (R245fa in this case) increased more when
an IHE is equipped. The inference could be verified by another type
of zeotropic mixture, isobutane/isopentane. Fig. 4 shows that the
ORC with pure isobutane (the more volatile one) had the biggest
net power increasing rate (6.94%) when IHE is added.
Thermal Efficiency
Fig. 5 shows the values of optimal thermal efficiency in each con-
centration for the basic ORC and regenerative ORC. The optimal
thermal efficiency reached a minimum of 8.22% for the basic

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Fig. 11. Thermal efficiency and exhaust gas outlet temperature versus superheat degree

ORC with R123/R245fa but it consistently rose to a maximum
of 10.38% for the regenerative one. The increasing rate of ther-
mal efficiency increased along with the mass fraction of R123
until the peak point of 29.2% appeared and then declined. When
isobutane/isopentane was employed, the optimal thermal effi-
ciency reached the nadir point of 9.00 and 10.75% for the basic
ORC and the regenerative ORC, respectively. The increasing rate
reached a maximum of 20.44% when the mass fraction of
isobutane/isopentane was 20/80%. The results suggest that pure
fluid (R123 and isopentane in respective mixtures) has a higher
thermal efficiency than respective zeotropic mixtures for basic
ORC and regenerative ORC. However, the maximum of increas-
ing rate appeared at zeotropic mixtures and it shows that IHE has a
greater impact on the ORC with zeotropic mixtures than that with
pure fluid. Moreover, the optimal turbine inlet pressure dropped
with the mass fraction of less volatile (R123 and isopentane in
respective mixtures) component, showing a closely relationship
between the optimal turbine inlet pressure and mass fraction of
zeotropic mixtures.
Exergy Efficiency
Fig. 6 shows the values of optimal exergy efficiency in each
concentration for basic ORC and regenerative ORC. The optimal
exergy efficiency reached a minimum of 35.97, 40.54, 35.05,
and 40.87% for the basic ORC with R123/R245fa (60/40%),
regenerative ORC with R123/R245fa (60/40%), basic ORC
with isobutane/isopentane (30/70%), and regenerative ORC with
isobutane/isopentane (40/60%), respectively. The results show that
the ORC with pure fluid has a better performance on exergy effi-
ciency than that with zeotropic mixtures. However, the results have
limitations because the turbine inlet temperature is fixed. For a
shifty turbine inlet temperature, zeotropic mixtures may be more
beneficial than the pure fluid for the exploitation of the temperature
profile. Another important result is that the increasing rate of ex-
ergy efficiency reached a maximum of 12.62 and 17.03% for R123/
R245fa (60/40%) and isobutane/isopentane (20/80%), respectively.
The result indicates that the ORC with zeotropic mixtures have a
greater ascension of exergy efficiency than that with pure fluid
when IHE is equipped.
Total Cost per Net Power Output
The total CPNPO was used as the first objective function to exam-
ine the cost effect design for ORC. Fig. 7 shows the values of the
optimum CPNPO in each concentration. In the case of R123/
R245fa, the CPNPO of both basic ORC and regenerative ORC de-
clined first and then increased. The minimum CPNPO appeared
at the values of 13.71 and 10.74 k€ðkWÞ−1 for the basic one with
90% R123 and the regenerative one with 90% R123, respectively.
When mixtures of isobutane/isopentane were selected, CPNPO
reached a minimum of 14.75 and 12.53 k€ðkWÞ−1 for the basic

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Fig. 12. Exergy efficiency and exergy destruction versus superheat degree
ORC with 30% isobutane and the regenerative ORC with 30%
isobutane, respectively. The results are understandable because the
optimal net power output increased with the isobutane concentra-
tion, while the optimal total cost reached a minimum for the basic
ORC with 10% isobutane and the regenerative ORC with 10%
isobutane. The results suggest that zeotropic mixtures have a better
economic performance on CPNPO than pure fluid.
Area of Heat Exchanger per Net Power Output
The second objective function that was used to examine the cost
effect design for ORC is the heat exchangers’ APNPO. The values
of the optimum APNPO in each concentration and the corre-
sponding increasing rate are depicted in Fig. 8. When mixtures of
R123/R245fa were employed, APNPO reached a minimum of
2.11 and 1.97 m2 ðkWÞ−1 for the basic ORC with 90% R123 and
regenerative one with 90% R123, respectively. The results indicate
that IHE is beneficial for more compact design of heat exchanger.
When the isobutane/isopentane was selected, APNPO of both basic
and the regenerative ORC with isobutane mass fraction ranged
from 10–60% were lower than that with pure fluid. The results sug-
gest that zeotropic mixtures have a better performance than pure
fluid on economic design of heat exchanger.
Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Performance
The ESERP was the objective function to estimate the amount of
fossil fuels saving and CO2 emission reduction when a ORC power
plant is employed instead of a petroleum-fired power plant per year.
© ASCE 04014050-10
J. Energy Eng.
The ORC with pure R245fa and pure isobutane got more CO2
emission reduction and fossil fuels saving than respective zeotropic
mixtures (Fig. 9). The ESERP and net power output had the same
variation trend since ESERP is the single value function of net
power output. The increasing rate of energy saving and emission
reduction had the same results with that of net power output when
IHE was equipped.
Effect of Superheat Degree on the ORC with Zeotropic
Mixtures
In this section, the simulation was based on the ORC with IHE
and the turbine inlet pressure was set as 1,000 kPa. Net power out-
put, thermal efficiency, exergy efficiency, CPNPO, APNPO, and
ESERP were selected as the indicators to evaluate the effect of
superheat degree on system performance.
Thermodynamic Analysis
Fig. 10 shows the variations of net power output and the corre-
sponding mass flow rate of the working fluid with the superheat
degree for pure fluid and zeotropic mixtures. The net power output
decreased consistently with superheat degree for not only the pure
fluid but also the mixtures (Fig. 10). In addition, the correspond-
ing mass flow rate of the working fluid fell with superheat degree.
A possible explanation for this is that the boiling temperature of
working fluid, pinch point of evaporator and inlet temperature of
heat source were all fixed, resulting in a constant heat exchange
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Fig. 13. Cost per net power output and total cost versus superheat degree

capacity of the evaporation zone. Thus the increasing superheat
degree gave rise to the reduction of mass flow rate of the working
fluid. However the net power output per mass flow rate of working
fluid (NPM) went up with superheat degree and it suggests that
superheat degree have a positive effect on NPM. The working fluid
with 40% isobutane and 60% R123 had the highest net power out-
put profile in their respective mixtures. The results indicate that
zeotropic mixtures have a better performance on net power output
in the ORC with same superheat degree than pure fluid.
Fig. 11 shows the variations of thermal efficiency and the cor-
responding exhaust gas outlet temperature with the superheat de-
gree for pure fluid and zeotropic mixtures. The thermal efficiency
increased with the superheat degree in each mass fraction of work-
ing fluid. Among them, pure isobutane and pure R245fa had the
higher thermal efficiency than their respective mixtures. The cor-
responding exhaust gas outlet temperature increased with the super-
heat degree. The inlet temperature and mass flow rate of exhaust
gas were fixed, so the increase of outlet temperature of exhaust gas
gave rise to the reduction of heat exchange capacity. However, the
net power output declined much faster than the heat exchange
capacity, resulting in the increase of thermal efficiency. The results
show that superheat degree are helpful for thermal efficiency.
Moreover, in the saturated ORC or ORC with same superheat de-
gree, pure fluid gain an advantage over zeotropic mixtures in terms
of thermal efficiency.
Fig. 12 shows the variations of exergy efficiency and corre-
sponding exergy destruction with the superheat degree for pure
fluid and zeotropic mixtures. The exergy efficiency increased
with superheat degree and pure isobutane and pure R245fa had
higher exergy efficiency and lower exergy destruction than their
respective mixtures (Fig. 12). It was originally assumed that the
zeotropic mixtures would result a lower irreversibility and better
exergy performance than pure fluid. But the results show that
mixtures have an average exergy efficiency of the two pure com-
ponents. What calls for special attention is that the results are re-
stricted to the case of fixed turbine inlet pressure and superheat
degree.
Economic Analysis
Fig. 13 shows the variations of CPNPO and corresponding total
cost with the superheat degree for pure fluid and zeotropic mix-
tures. For the case of R123/R245fa mixtures, CPNPO decreased
with the superheat degree when the mass fraction of R123 ranged
from 0 to 80% but it increased when the mass fraction of R123 were
90 and 100%. In addition, 90% R123 had the lower CPNPO than
the others. The corresponding total cost of each concentration con-
sistently dropped with the superheat degree, among which pure
R245fa had the biggest reduction rate. When the net power output
decreased faster than the corresponding total cost, CPNPO would
increase with the superheat degree. Fig. 13 illustrates the case of

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Fig. 14. Area of the heat changers per net power output and total area versus superheat degree

isobutane/isopentane, CPNPO increased with the superheat degree Sensitivity Analysis

when the mass fraction of isobutane ranged from 0–20%, while
it decreased when the mass fraction of isobutane ranged from 30
to 100%. Among the each concentration of isobutane/isopentane
mixtures, pure isopentane had the lowest CPNPO.
Fig. 14 shows the variations of APNPO and corresponding area
of heat exchanger with the superheat degree, for pure fluid and
zeotropic mixtures. The APNPO and the corresponding area had
the same variation trend with CPNPO and total cost, respectively
(Fig. 14). The saturated ORC with 90% R123 and 10% isobutane
had the minimum APNPO of 2.40 and 2.48 m2 ðkWÞ−1 , respec-
tively. These findings agree well with conclusion mentioned in a
previous section that the heat exchangers account a large share
in the total cost in the low-temperature waste heat power plant.
Fig. 15 shows the variations of ESERP with the superheat de-
gree for pure fluid and zeotropic mixtures. The ESERP was the
single value function of net power output so it will not be further
discussed in this section. In the case of isobutane/isopentane, the
saturated ORC with 40% isobutane had the largest energy saving
of 5.45 × 105 L year−1 and the largest CO2 emission reduction
of 1.84 × 106 kg year−1 . When R123/R245fa was employed, the
saturated ORC with 60% R123 had the largest energy saving of
5.58 × 105 L year−1 and the largest CO2 emission reduction of
1.87 × 106 kg year−1 .
In order to verify the sensitivity of the environment temperature on
the indicators discussed previously, a sensitivity analysis was elab-
orated for the two kinds of zeotropic mixtures [Figs. 16–20]. The
sensitivity analysis was performed ranging from −10 to 8 K of
the initial environment temperature (293 K). It shows that the rising
environment temperature have a negative effect on the system
thermodynamic performance. The temperature and pressure of con-
denser outlet are closely related to the environment temperature
so the rising environment temperature brings difficulty to the con-
densation of system and decreases the specific enthalpy drop in the
turbine. The environment temperature most affects the net power
output, followed by the thermal efficiency, CPNPO or APNPO, and
finally the exergy efficiency (Figs. 16–20). Moreover, the indica-
tors are more sensitive to the ORC with isobutane/isopentane than
that with R123/R245fa.
Conclusions
In this paper, the effects of IHE and superheat degree on thermo-
economic performance of ORC have been investigated, and the
following conclusions may be summarized:
• The net power output of more volatile pure fluid increases more
when IHE is equipped. Superheat degree have a negative effect

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Fig. 15. Energy saving and emission reduction performance versus superheat degree

Fig. 16. Sensitivity analysis of environment temperature on net power output

on the net power output of ORC and the saturated ORC with
40% isobutane and 60% R123 have the maximum net power
of 227.62 and 235.26 kW in their respective mixtures.
• The ORC with pure fluid have an advantage over that with
zeotropic mixtures in terms of (1) thermal efficiency, and
(2) exergy efficiency when turbine inlet temperature is fixed.
But the ORC with mixtures have a larger increasing rate of
these two kinds of efficiency than that with pure fluid when
IHE is added. Under the condition of fixed turbine inlet pres-
sure and same superheat degree, these two kinds of efficiency
of the ORC with mixtures are located in between the pure
components.

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Fig. 17. Sensitivity analysis of environment temperature on thermal efficiency

Fig. 18. Sensitivity analysis of environment temperature on exergy efficiency

Fig. 19. Sensitivity analysis of environment temperature on CPNPO

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Fig. 20. Sensitivity analysis of environment temperature on APNPO

• In both the basic ORC and regenerative ORC, zeotropic mix- Pr = Prandtl number;
tures have a better performance of CPNPO and APNPO than Q = heat transfer rate (kW);
the pure fluid. The CPNPO and APNPO decrease with the R = Reynolds number;
superheat degree, but the situation is conversed in the ORC with s = entropy (kJ kg−1 K−1 );
high concentrations of less volatile component. t = temperature (K);
U = overall heat transfer coefficient (W m−2 K−1 );
W = power (kW); and
Acknowledgments x = vapor quality.
The writers gratefully acknowledge the financial support by the
Greek letters
Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher
Education of China (Grant No. 20130201110037), the National ΔP = pressure difference;
Key Technology Research and Development Program (Grant No. Δtm = logarithmic mean temperature difference between hot
2011BAA05B3), and the National High-Tech Research and side and cold side (K);
Development (Grant No. SS2012AA053002). η = viscosity (kg s−1 m−1 ); efficiency (%);
λ = thermal conductivity (W m−1 k−1 ); and
ρ = density (kg=m3 ).
Notation
Subscripts
The following symbols are used in this paper:
A = cross sectional area (m2 ); heat transfer surface con = condenser;
area (m2 ); crit = critical;
Bo = boiling number; cs = cold side;
bl = blower; cw = cooling water;
C = wetted perimeter of the cross-section (m); capital cost eq = equivalent;
(×103 €); constant; eva = evaporator;
CV = control valve; exg = exergy;
cp = specific heat (J kg−1 K−1 ); hs = hot side;
D = diameter (m); in = inlet;
E = exergy (kJ s−1 ); l = liquid;
eq = equivalent; lab = labor;
F = factor; m = mean;
f = friction; nbp = normal boiling point;
G = mass velocity (kg m−2 s−1 ); net = net;
h = enthalpy (kJ kg−1 ); convection heat transfer coefficient out = outlet;
(W m−2 K−1 ); P = pressure factor;
he = heat exchanger; pp = pump;
L = length (m); rec = receiver;
I = exergy destruction (kJ kg−1 ); reg = regenerator;
Ind = indicator; Sp = single-phase flow;
M = mass flow rate (kg s−1 ); tf = two-phase flow;
N = number; th = thermal;
Nu = Nusselt number; total = total; and
P = pressure (MPa); tur = turbine.

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