• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.12
• /
• pp.776-781
• /
• 2011

The rapid increases in global energy demand and global warming need renewable energy sources such as solar thermal energy, biomass energy and waste heat. A ORC-based micro-CHP system(< 10 kWe) is one of the effective means to use renewable energy and solve energy problems because of its compactness, flexibilities and lower cost compared to other systems. The most important core components of the ORC is the expander which has a strong effect on the cycle efficiency. In the range of power output from 1 to 10 kW, the scroll expander is a good choice due to its performance and reliability. In this study, we have carried out an experimental study on an ORC equipped with oil-free scroll expander working with refrigerant R134a. We have measured power output and thermal efficiencies of the ORC and analyzed correlation between volumetric efficiencies of the expander and thermal efficiencies of the ORC.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
• /
• v.18 no.5
• /
• pp.434-442
• /
• 2006

In a two-stage compression $CO_2$ transcritical cycle, application of a scroll expander-compressor unit has been considered in order to improve the cycle COP. For both expander and 1st stage compressor, scroll wrap profile which was originally designed for a R410A air-conditioning cycle mechanism was used with minor modifications: wrap height and involute end angle were adjusted for required displacement volume and built-in volume ratio. For pressure condition of 10 Mpa/3.5 MPa and expander inlet temperature of $35^{\circ}C$, 25% improvement in COP was obtained by using expander-compressor unit. As evaporator pressure increased, COP improvement was lowered mainly due to decreasing compressor peformance.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.19 no.6
• /
• pp.72-79
• /
• 2015

Electricity can be generated when the natural gas passes through a turbo-expander pressure reduction system at natural gas pressure reduction stations. Efficiency of the turbo-expander depends on the ratio of the natural gas flow rates to the design flow rate of the turbo-expander. Therefore, the optimal conditions for the operation of the pressure reduction system can be determined by controlling the natural gas flow rates. In this study, we have calculated the electric energy generation depending on the natural gas flow rates at the two low-pressure reduction stations when the pressure of the natural gas is reduced from 17.5 bar to 8.5 bar and have found the optimal conditions for the turbo-expander pressure reduction system through the comparison with the calculation results. The turbo-expander generates the electric power efficiently for the high natural gas flow rates which variations are slight. The determined design flow rate of the turbo-expander has the highest coverage of the natural gas flow rates. The electricity generation is calculated as much as 9 MW(B station) and 12 MW(D station) at each pressure reduction station.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.28-33
• /
• 2017

A liquid nitrogen engine is a highly clean power engine, which does not emit any hazardous substances in its fumes. Additionally, it has an advantage over electric vehicles, as its energy density is larger than that of a battery. The use of an existing liquid nitrogen engine is typically limited to the reciprocation type. In this study, the concept of a nitrogen engine equipped with a scroll expander is introduced. The engine's efficiency was shown to increase when the scroll expander was utilized in the engine, while also adding to the simplification of the structure. Therefore, compared to the existing reciprocation-type engine, the engine with the scroll expander has the potential to be both technically and economically more competitive. In this study, the performance of a liquid nitrogen engine equipped with a scroll expander was analyzed while altering the injection pressure profile of liquid nitrogen.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.141-148
• /
• 2015

The cryogenic cooling system should maintain the HTS power cable below 77 K. As the length of HTS power cables has increased, there have been many efforts to develop large capacity cryocoolers. Brayton, Joule-Thomson, and Claude refrigerators were considered for the large capacity cryocooler. Among the various cryocoolers, the Brayton refrigerator is the most competitive in terms of the HTS power cable. At present, it is thought that a 10-kW class refrigerator will be able to be used as a unit cooling system for the commercialization of HTS power cables in the near future. The Brayton refrigerator is composed of recuperative heat exchangers, a compressor, and a cryogenic turbo expander. Among the various components, the cryogenic turbo expander is the part that decreases the temperature, and it is the most significant component that is closely related with overall system efficiency. It rotates at high speed using high-pressure helium or neon gas at cryogenic temperatures. This paper describes the design of a 300-W class Brayton refrigeration cycle and the cryogenic turbo expander as a downscale model for the practical 10-kW class cycle. Flow and structural analyses are performed on the rotating impeller and nozzle to verify the efficiency and the design performance.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.129-135
• /
• 2016

There have been many types of development and commercialization efforts for superconducting power applications with the continuous development of High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) conductors. In particular, HTS power cables are going to be commercialized in real power grids. A cryogenic refrigeration system should be used to keep it below 77 K, and its required cooling capacity continuously increases as the unit length of the HTS power cable increases. Among the many kinds of cryogenic refrigerator, a reverse Brayton refrigerator that uses turbo expanders is a promising refrigerator due to its efficiency and reliability. Among the various components in refrigerators, the cryogenic turbo-expander is the most important part for increasing efficiency and assuring reliability. The design of a 300 W class turbo-expander is described in this paper prior to the development of a 10 kW class turbo expander, which is the required capability for the commercialization of a HTS power cable. The impeller shape and rotation speed are determined based on the cycle analysis. The Eigen frequency and harmonic analysis are conducted with gas bearings at cryogenic temperatures to determine the operational stability.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.74-81
• /
• 2019

Expansion turbine system to recover the electricity energy from natural gas transmission stations is a well-known technique. The turbo-expander efficiency depends on the ratio of the natural gas flow rates to the design flow rate of the turbo-expander. However, if there is a big difference of the natural gas flow rate through the pressure letdown station because of seasonal supply pattern, that is, high flow rate in winter while low flow rate in summer, single turbo-expander system is not so efficient as to recover the pressurized energy from the low flow-rate natural gas. Therefore, we have proposed a new concept of double turbo-expander system: one is a big capacity and the other a small capacity. Here we have theoretically computed the electric powers at the pressure reduction from 18.5 bar to 7.5 bar depending on the inlet conditions of temperature and flow rate. The calculated electricity generation has been increased by 30% from 12.4 MW in a single turbo expander to 16.1 MW in the proposed double turbo-expander system when a minimal design efficiency of 0.72 is applied.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.565-572
• /
• 1999

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of conditioning (conventional vs expander) corn- and sorghum-based diets on production traits for lactating sows and finishing pigs. In Exp. 1, one hundred sixty-eight sows (parity 1-4, PIC line C15) were fed the corn or sorghum grain diets as a meal, standard (steam) conditioned pellets, or expanded pellets to give a $2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement of treatments. Pellet durability index (PDD was similar for the sorghum- vs corn-based diets, but increased when diets were expanded pellets for both corn- and sorghum-based diets. The corn-based meal diet supported 3.3% greater litter weight gain than the sorghum-based meal diet (44.0 kg vs 42.8 kg). However, the advantage for the corn-based diet disappeared with expander processing (ie., sows fed the sorghum-based diet responded more to diets processed with the alternative processing technology). Sow weight change during lactation was similar (p>0.15) among treatments, although average daily feed intake tended to be greater (p<0.09) for the sows fed sorghum. For Exp. 2, a total of 71 barrows (average initial weight of 58.0 kg) were used in a growth assay to determine the effects of feeding com- and sorghum-based diets, as meal or pellets, after processing with a conventional steam conditioner or an expander (high-shear) conditioner. PDI was not different for the sorghum- vs corn-based diets, but increased from 84 to 95% with expander conditioning compared to conventional steam conditioning. Rate and efficiency of gain, and carcass leanness were similar for pigs fed sorghum and corn (p>0.15). Efficiency of gain was greater (p<0.04) for pigs fed the pelleted (356 g/kg) diets compared to those given the meal (348 g/kg) diets. However, efficiencies of gain were similar (p>0.11) for pigs fed the conventional- and expander-conditioned diets. Pelleting increased (p<0.01) the incidence and severity of stomach lesions regardless of grain type. In conclusion, corn-based meal diet resulted in a greater litter weight gain than the sorghum-based meal diet. However, that advantage disappeared when the diets were expanded and pelleted. Finishing pigs fed pelleted diets were more efficient than those fed meal diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.558-564
• /
• 1999

A series of experiments were conducted to determine the effects of standard (ST), long-term (LT), and expander (EX) conditioners on nutritional value of phase-three nursery and finishing swine diets. In Exp. 1, 180 pigs (average initial BW of 11.7 kg) were fed com-soybean meal based diets (1.3% lysine) during a 28 d growth assay. Gain/feed was improved (p<0.004) with pelleting and pellet durability index (PDI) increased with degree of conditioning (LT>ST). However, there was no advantage for LT vs ST conditioning in rate or efficiency of gain (p>0.5). In Exp. 2, 180 pigs (average initial BW of 10.4 kg) were fed con-soybean meal based diets (0.9% lysine) during a 28 d growth assay, Pelleted diets tended to support greater ADG (p<0.08) and gain/feed (p<0.002) with no marked advantage from EX vs ST conditioning. In Exp 3, a total of 70 barrows (average initial BW of 54 kg) was used in a growth assay to determine the effects of feeding a com-soybean meal based diet processed with a standard (ST) steam conditioner, a long-term (LT) steam conditioner, and an expander (EX) conditioner. The conditioned diets were fed as mash (M) or pellets (P) to give a $2{\times}3$ factorial plus a meal control. PDI increased with degree of conditioning (EX>LT>ST). There was a trend (p<0.07) for greater ADG in pigs fed diets that had been thermally conditioned. Also, there was a general advantage in gain/feed with pelleting (p<0.04), but this advantage was pronounced only with standard conditioning. Indeed, the greatest gain/feed was observed for pigs fed the expander treatments (p<0.03) and the expander mash was used as efficiently as the expander pellets. There was no difference in backfat thickness among pigs fed the treatments (p>0.3). but the more extreme the processing technique. the greater the incidence and severity of stomach lesions (p<0.04). These results suggest maximum rate and efficiency of growth with pelleting after standard steam conditioning or simply feeding an expanded mash.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.41-48
• /
• 2015

The performance characteristics of a scroll expander is the most important variable for the performance of organic Rankine cycle system. In this paper, the performance characteristics of a scroll expander was identified using 1kW class organic Rankine cycle system with various operating conditions. The ORC system is composed of an evaporator, a scroll expander, a condenser and a working fluid feed pump that uses R245fa as working fluid. The hot water temperature was controlled from $80^{\circ}C$ to $115^{\circ}C$ by the 50kW-class electric water-heater. The maximum isentropic efficiency of the scroll expander was measured about 77%, and the shaft power was measured from 0.5 kW to 1.8 kW according to heat source temperatures.