Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system

The expander plays a crucial role in the waste heat recovery to useful mechanical power via the ORC system. However, there is still a lack of a commercially available expander at a micro-scale ORC system. Therefore, the development of a sliding-vane expander operated in a micro-scale ORC system is p...

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Main Authors: Wichean Singmai, Pichet Janpla, Kasemsil Onthong, Tongchana Thongtip, Kittiwoot Sutthivirode
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-09-01
Series:Results in Engineering
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025026106
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author Wichean Singmai
Pichet Janpla
Kasemsil Onthong
Tongchana Thongtip
Kittiwoot Sutthivirode
author_facet Wichean Singmai
Pichet Janpla
Kasemsil Onthong
Tongchana Thongtip
Kittiwoot Sutthivirode
author_sort Wichean Singmai
collection DOAJ
description The expander plays a crucial role in the waste heat recovery to useful mechanical power via the ORC system. However, there is still a lack of a commercially available expander at a micro-scale ORC system. Therefore, the development of a sliding-vane expander operated in a micro-scale ORC system is proposed. The impact of the evaporator temperature and condensation temperature on the system performance is investigated by the ORC test rig. The evaporator temperature ranges from 65 to 85°C (heat source) and the condensation temperature (heat sink) ranges from 34 to 42°C. The working fluid used is R245fa. This work also proposes a mass flow model corrected by the volumetric efficiency, which is determined experimentally under different expansion pressure ratios and rotational speeds. The validation of the calculated results with another working fluid is implemented to indicate the accuracy of the model. It has been proven that the sliding-vane expander is workable under a wide range of operating conditions. A shaft power (useful mechanical work) of 108–182 W is found. For a certain working condition, the maximum shaft power is determined at a certain rotational speed. The thermal efficiency is around 0.85 - 1.6% depending on the working condition. The mass flow rate determined by the proposed model agrees well with the experiment even when the working fluid is changed (R141b used for validation). The error from predictions is around 12.0 – 15.6%. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the in-house developed expander in an ORC system, which may be an alternative way to be cost-effective for installing an ORC plant.
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spelling doaj-art-d8fa8a0dae3f4844b21c46ba18c7791d2025-08-20T02:58:08ZengElsevierResults in Engineering2590-12302025-09-012710654110.1016/j.rineng.2025.106541Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC systemWichean Singmai0Pichet Janpla1Kasemsil Onthong2Tongchana Thongtip3Kittiwoot Sutthivirode4Thermal and Fluid Laboratory (TFL), Department of Teacher Training in Mechanical Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, 1518 Phacharat 1 Rd., Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800, ThailandThermal and Fluid Laboratory (TFL), Department of Teacher Training in Mechanical Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, 1518 Phacharat 1 Rd., Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800, ThailandThermal and Fluid Laboratory (TFL), Department of Teacher Training in Mechanical Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, 1518 Phacharat 1 Rd., Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800, ThailandCorresponding authors.; Thermal and Fluid Laboratory (TFL), Department of Teacher Training in Mechanical Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, 1518 Phacharat 1 Rd., Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800, ThailandCorresponding authors.; Thermal and Fluid Laboratory (TFL), Department of Teacher Training in Mechanical Engineering, King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok, 1518 Phacharat 1 Rd., Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800, ThailandThe expander plays a crucial role in the waste heat recovery to useful mechanical power via the ORC system. However, there is still a lack of a commercially available expander at a micro-scale ORC system. Therefore, the development of a sliding-vane expander operated in a micro-scale ORC system is proposed. The impact of the evaporator temperature and condensation temperature on the system performance is investigated by the ORC test rig. The evaporator temperature ranges from 65 to 85°C (heat source) and the condensation temperature (heat sink) ranges from 34 to 42°C. The working fluid used is R245fa. This work also proposes a mass flow model corrected by the volumetric efficiency, which is determined experimentally under different expansion pressure ratios and rotational speeds. The validation of the calculated results with another working fluid is implemented to indicate the accuracy of the model. It has been proven that the sliding-vane expander is workable under a wide range of operating conditions. A shaft power (useful mechanical work) of 108–182 W is found. For a certain working condition, the maximum shaft power is determined at a certain rotational speed. The thermal efficiency is around 0.85 - 1.6% depending on the working condition. The mass flow rate determined by the proposed model agrees well with the experiment even when the working fluid is changed (R141b used for validation). The error from predictions is around 12.0 – 15.6%. This work demonstrates the feasibility of the in-house developed expander in an ORC system, which may be an alternative way to be cost-effective for installing an ORC plant.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025026106ORCSliding-Vane ExpanderWaste Heat Recovery
spellingShingle Wichean Singmai
Pichet Janpla
Kasemsil Onthong
Tongchana Thongtip
Kittiwoot Sutthivirode
Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system
Results in Engineering
ORC
Sliding-Vane Expander
Waste Heat Recovery
title Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system
title_full Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system
title_fullStr Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system
title_full_unstemmed Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system
title_short Performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in-house development in a micro-scale ORC system
title_sort performance investigation of sliding vane expander based in house development in a micro scale orc system
topic ORC
Sliding-Vane Expander
Waste Heat Recovery
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590123025026106
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AT kasemsilonthong performanceinvestigationofslidingvaneexpanderbasedinhousedevelopmentinamicroscaleorcsystem
AT tongchanathongtip performanceinvestigationofslidingvaneexpanderbasedinhousedevelopmentinamicroscaleorcsystem
AT kittiwootsutthivirode performanceinvestigationofslidingvaneexpanderbasedinhousedevelopmentinamicroscaleorcsystem