Illustration of an absorption chiller unit

The absorption cooling technology itself is very simple. It is a system of exchangers filled with a working substance (LiBr solution) and water. Absorption chillers are suitable wherever there is a heat source and a need for cooling:

• ironworks
• foundries
• agriculture
• chemical industry
• cogeneration units
• compressors for compressed air production

Standard compressor cooling technologies have a high power consumption, for the same cooling
capacity the actual consumption of an absorption cooling unit is only about 5% of the consumption compared to compressor cooling. Therefore, the installation of an absorption chiller will result in a significant reduction in the operating costs of refrigeration production.

Advantages of ORC:    

• high annual uptime
• high efficiency relative to the inlet temperature
• fully automatic operation
• easy integration into existing equipment
• suitable for modular installation

Use of technologies:

• Engines running on natural gas, biogas, etc.
• Biodiesel generators
• Spark-ignition engines
• Diesel engines
• Gas turbines
• Heat released during manufacturing processes
• Heat from furnaces or boilers
• Any heat sources with temperatures > 350 °C

ORC e-box POWER

ORC e-box Vario

→  ORC e-box POWER operates with flue gaseswithin the range 350 - 520 °C. Thermal power at the input to the ORC e-box POWER is 450 -990 kW while the electrical output power is 50 - 180 kWe, depending on the input heat fed into the ORC system. 

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An example of installation is a combination of the ORC system with a CHP unit. A great advantage is the ORC can be connected directly to the chimney flue gas pipe of the process. This eliminates the need to use a flue gas heat exchanger. Flue gases are passed directly to the ORC heat exchanger. The internal medium is not water, but an organic substance. It is heated to about 320 °C and when entering the turbine blades of the ORC it moves the turbine to speeds up to 28,000 rpm.  

The connected asynchronous generator begins to generate electric power. Through the use of high temperatures directly from the flue gas, ORC e-box POWER achieves an efficiency of around 20%! This value puts ORC e-box POWER among the leaders in this technology. In the cooling circuit, the heat power is equal to 80% of the input heat power with the temperature gradient of about 55 °C - 35 °C. These are not random parameters as they provide the client with the possibility of using this potent i a l to heat the d i g e s t e r s , swimming pools, sludge pits, etc. The recovered flue gas coming out of the ORC flue gas pipe has a temperature of about 180°C.

→  The main reason why the ORC e-box VARIO system was launched onto the market was a high demand amongst potential clients for the use of heat to generate not only electrical energy, but also to use hot water for heating..

→ Variability of the ORC e-box VARIO operation enables the user to evaluate when the supply of heat into the heating system is a priority, or when it is more practical to maximize the production of electricity.

ORC e-box VARIO is technically identical to the e-box type, but it offers an additional feature of controlling the temperature of ORC cooling water so as to achieve different temperature levels. The settings can be changed online, depending on the operating conditions.   

The ORC e-box VARIO system can be used with biogas plants (apart from other applications) which already have a supply of heat in place or which are planning it. By deploying the ORC e-box VARIO system, it is possible to streamline the entire operation and in the winter months to control the supply of heat ver sus electr icity production from ORC.

Graph of electricity production depending on the temperature of the refrigeration circuit:

ORC WB-1 characteristics and specifications:    

• thermal power input 450 - 990 kWth, > 350 °C
• electric power output from the ORC 50 - 180 kWe
• high utilization efficiency of conver ting thermal energy into electricity, up to 20%
• cooling - water, 350 - 700 kWth
• zero fuel requirements (waste heat recovery)
• direct heating of medium by ORC flue gas
• no emissions, CO2 neutral
• low maintenance requirements
• high reliability and availability of service and spare par ts in the Czech Republic
• (> 8500 hours/year)
• remote monitoring, unattended operation
• suitable for obtaining subsidies for green energy

illustrative picture of connecting the ORC Triogen ebox to a biomass heat source

ORC POWER+ PM75, 6500B, 6500B+

The Power+ units are able to use heat sources from 70 ° C and generate up to 125 kWe. 
 

The Power+ generator using organic Rankine cycle together with patented technologies -
double helix, converts sources of low-temperature heat and waste heat into electricity
without additional fuel consumption or emissions. Heat sources with a higher temperature higher than 150 ° C - for example thermal oils and exhaust gases can be used with the use of an additional heat exchanger.

                                     Technologie Power+ PM75

Bitzer expander, double helix patent

Technology SMART POWER ORC

Thanks to the integration of the BITZER semi-hermetic expander, ElectraTherm's ORC solutions represent a dramatic shift away from turbine technologies. The expander not only provides a more cost-effective and robust design that significantly increases reliability, but also has much lower operating speeds that allow for "wet" two-phase flow.

As a result, the expander is better equipped for transient operation, which allows the system to reliably generate energy from heat sources with temperature and flow fluctuations. ORC systems from ElectraTherm based expander are more ideal for variable heat sources with lower temperature compared to turbine based systems.

The new expander from the parent company ElectraTherm - BITZER ensures smooth operation and absolute reliability.

Process

1. Heat enters the evaporator and heats ORC operating fluid (refrigerant) to the boiling point and thus it is converted into steam.
   The hot steam creates pressure.
2. The steam is forced through the screw expander and spins an electric generator.
3. Steam is cooled with a source of cold water and condenses back to liquid form in the condenser.
4. Operating fluid is pumped to a higher pressure, it returns back into the evaporator and the process repeats.

Freestanding

20 ft. ISO frame

40 ft. ISO frame

• Dimensions: 2,4 x 2 x 2,3 m

• Dimensions:  6,1 x 2,4 x 2,6 m

• Dimensions:  12 x 2,4 x 2,6 m

• Indoor and outdoor installation

• Possibility of modular wiring
• Easy installation without a concrete foundation
• Integrated mounting with a dry cooler 

• Turnkey installation including a cooling circuit piping and pump
• Without a conceret foundation
• Plug&play

Advantages of the POWER+ series

• Automated management system
• Low maintenance requirements
• Modularity and scalability
• Robust twin screw expander
• CE certification
• Zero emissions
• No secondary toxic products
• Zero consumption of fossiel fuel
• Remote monitoring

Utilizing the technologies:

• Natural gas engine
• Petrol and diesel engines
• Biomass engines
• Biogas
• Boilers
• Heat from industrial processes
• Solar heat
• Geothermal energy

ORCAN cooler solves the following problems with the cooling of cogeneration units:

• The fact that the current cooling is undersized forces to limit the output in the summer months = loss of sales
   
• Older coolers lose their cooling effectiveness and are often liable to failure = increased operating costs
   
• Due to the engine overheating, oil is often exchanged = increased service costs

• Suitable for input temperature in the cooler from 60˚C
• Waste heat with output more than 125 kWth
• At ambient temperatures up to 30˚ C with the minimal/zero electricity consumption
• It is not a source of the production of electric energy
• Fast return on investment
   

ORCAN cooler has the best output-price ratio in comparison with the standard coolers:

It is a technology for efficient cooling of waste heat not only with zero electricity consumption, but also with further electricity production. This is done using the ORC system integrated in the heatsink. The ORC unit produces electricity from waste heat. It is used for its own cooling consumption of the Active Cooler.

Electricity forms in addition to own consumption so it can be further processed into the distribution system. Active Cooler is not only a full-fledged cooler of excess energy, but also another new source of electricity.