Optimization of ORC-Based Micro-CHP Systems: An Experimental and Control-Oriented Study

This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the performance and control optimization of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) system. A steady-state, off-design, charge-sensitive model is developed to design a control strategy for an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProcesses Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 1104
Main Authors Santos, Márcio, André, Jorge, Mendes, Ricardo, Ribeiro, José B.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 07.04.2025
Subjects
Analysis
Boilers
Boundary conditions
Cogeneration
Cogeneration power plants
Combustion
Control algorithms
Cost control
Design
Dynamic control
Electricity
Energy consumption
Energy efficiency
Equipment and supplies
Heat
Heat recovery systems
Heating
Hot water
Manual control
Mathematical analysis
Natural gas
Optimization
Proportional integral derivative
Rankine cycle
Real time
Residential energy
Robust control
Steady state
Temperature
Thermal energy
Turbines
Working fluids
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ISSN2227-9717
2227-9717
DOI10.3390/pr13041104

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Summary:This study presents an experimental and numerical investigation into the performance and control optimization of an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)-based micro-combined heat and power (micro-CHP) system. A steady-state, off-design, charge-sensitive model is developed to design a control strategy for an ORC micro-CHP combi-boiler, aiming to efficiently meet real-time domestic hot water demands (up to 40 °C and 35 kW) while generating up to 2 kW of electricity. The system utilizes a natural gas burner to evaporate the working fluid (R245fa), with combustion heat power, volumetric pump speed, and expander speed as control variables. Experimental and numerical evaluations generate steady-state control maps to identify optimal operating regions. A PID-based dynamic control strategy is then developed to stabilize operation during start-ups and user demand variations. The results confirm that the strategy delivers hot water within 1.5 min in simple boiler mode and 3 min in cogeneration mode while improving electricity generation stability and outperforming manual control. The findings demonstrate that integrating steady-state modeling with optimized control enhances the performance, responsiveness, and efficiency of ORC-based micro-CHP systems, making them a viable alternative for residential energy solutions.
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ISSN:2227-9717
2227-9717
DOI:10.3390/pr13041104