Dynamic Modeling of Organic Rankine Cycle Power Systems

New promising applications of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology, e.g., concentrated solar power, automotive heat recovery and off-grid distributed electricity generation, demand for more dynamic operation of ORC systems. Accurate physically-based dynamic modeling plays an important role in the development of such systems, both during the preliminary design as an aid for configuration and equipment selection, and for control design and optimization purposes. A software library of modular reusable dynamic models of ORC components has been developed in the MODELICA language and is documented in the paper. The model of an exemplary ORC system, namely the 150 kW e Tri-O-Gen ORC turbogenerator is validated using few carefully conceived experiments. The simulations are able to reproduce steady-state and dynamic measurements of key variables, both in nominal and in off-design operating conditions. The validation of the library opens doors to control-related studies, and to the development of more challenging dynamic applications of ORC power plants.