Abstract

This paper presents numerical analysis of waste heat recovery from engine exhaust gases by means of Rankine cycle and Organic Rankine cycle. Both technologies are widely studied in combustion engines but there are still not solid statements which should be chosen.

The heat source in this study is the exhaust system of a modern diesel engine, developed for passenger car. Firstly, the engine was experimentally studied at stationary operating mode. Thus, exhaust gas parameters such as: mass flow rate, temperature and enthalpy were obtained at seventeen operating points which correspond to real operating mode of vehicle in NEDC. A simulation model of waste heat recovery system was developed. Based on that model, a numerical code was created in Python as CoolProp open-source platform was used to determine working fluid parameters. Lastly, Rankine cycle and Organic Rankine Cycle output power and efficiency were studied. The results revealed that Organic Rankine cycle using R245fa as working fluid provides better efficiency than steam Rankine cycle. Maximum recovered power was estimated to be 1.69kW while for the steam Rankine cycle it was 1.43kW.