Waste Heat Recovery Potential from Internal Combustion Engines Using Organic Rankine Cycle

Increasing fuel prices and stringent emission regulations are forcing improvements in the performance and emissions of internal combustion engines (ICEs). There are several ways to enhance engine performance and emissions. Waste heat recovery has emerged as a practical solution in recent times. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a promising technology to recover the waste heat from various sources and potentially enhance the overall performance of ICEs. The ORC system converts waste heat energy into useful power either for ICEs, renewable energy (geothermal, solar and biomass), or industrial waste heat energy. The ORC systems range from a few kW to multi-MW plants. After a long evolution, this technology has matured. The economic performance of an ORC is very important for its further development and wider application. Integration of ORC with ICEs is gaining popularity among researchers. However, it isn’t very easy and depends on the physicochemical properties of the working fluid (WF) and the heat source temperature. Several optimization methods could improve its performance and decide the optimum operating conditions for the ORC systems.