Waste Heat Power Generation

This unique system allows you to use your flare gas, waste heat, waste hot water, geothermal, geo-pressurized, hydrothermal, enhanced geothermal, turbine exhaust, or re-injected waste water to power a organic Rankine cycle (ORC) turbine generator.

Geothermal and Waste Heat Organic Rankine Cycle:

The technology developed using a ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) can operate off any heat source, with a minimum of 125 deg F temperature differential between the heat source and sink.  Geothermal energy is only one potential application.  Similar systems are already in operation off heat generated from landfill flares and gas turbine exhaust.  Other applications may include using biomass as a fuel.

2008 Federal Tax Credits (USA Only)

30 percent - solar installations

10 percent - geothermal

(for more information, click here)

Oil and Gas

The oil and gas also provides another possible application for the ORC power plant.  Because most oil and gas wells are quite deep, they are warmed by the natural thermal gradient of the earth.  In 2004 the U.S. produced over 2 billion bbl of “waste” water along with the oil and gas production, primarily from the Gulf States with temperatures high enough to produce electricity.  This hot water could be used to generate power directly, without impacting oil and gas production. 

Read a .pdf report here - Energy Under Our Feet

Gas turbines used for compressors and power generation provide huge amounts of waste heat.  This can be converted to additional electrical power.

To see Gas Turbine to waste heat power options, click here.

Organic Rankine Cycle

The Global Energy INFINITY TURBINE (turbogenerator) operates using the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is similar to the cycle of a conventional steam turbine, except for the fluid that drives the turbine, which is a environmentally friendly low boiling point organic fluid which allow the system to run efficiently on low temperature heat sources to produce electricity in a wide range of power outputs.

The Cycle

The environmentally friendly organic working fluid is turned into vapor by application of a heat source in the evaporator. The organic fluid vapor expands in the turbine and is then condensed using a flow of water in a shell-and-tube heat exchanger (alternatively, ambient air can be used for cooling). The condensate is pumped back to the evaporator thus closing the thermodynamic cycle. Heating and cooling sources are not directly in contact with the working fluid nor with the turbine. The condenser can use ground source geothermal and air cooled for added efficiency.

For high temperature applications such as Combined Heat and Power (CHP) biomass-powered boilers, high temperature thermal oil is used as a heat carrier and a regenerator is added, to further improve the cycle performance.

Advantages

a. High system efficiency

b. High turbine efficiency (up to 85 percent)

c. Low mechanical stress of the turbine, due to the low peripheral speed

d. Low turbine speed allowing the direct drive of the electric generator without reduction gear

e. No erosion of blades, due to the absence of moisture in the vapor nozzles

f. Long life

g. No operator required

h. Can be service by standard refrigerant technician

The system also has practical advantages, such as simple start-stop procedures, low noise operation, minimum maintenance requirements, and good part load performance.

Applications

a. Low enthalpy geothermal plants, up to 800 kwe electric per module - unlimited plant size

b. Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems - use condenser cycle to produce hot water for heating, domestic, ice melting, or even through a secondary chiller for cooling

c. Heat recovery applications, such as foundry, process or waste water in oil re-injection wells

d. Solar applications

Modularity

The ORC Infinity Turbine (up to about 800 kw/hr) consists of a single skid-mounted assembly (typically in a 20 or 40 foot ISO standard overseas shipping container), containing all the equipment required for the power skid to be operated (i.e. heat exchangers, piping, working fluid feed pump, turbine, electric generator, control and switch-gear). Larger units are composed of multiple modules, pre-assembled at the factory in shipping containers. Because of that, units are easy to transport and to install, and they are easy to interface with the hot and cold sources on site.  Since they are container mounted, you can stack and tie together horizontally, or vertically.  You can even use them on ships.  Perfect for remote operations, like islands.

Global Energy

Global Energy provides Organic Rankine Cycle project development services as well as turnkey products and services in the areas of renewable energy technologies and in developing clean power/energy projects that will generate renewable energy credits, like the carbon dioxide credits and emission reduction credits.

Organic Rankine Cycle Equipment Provided by:

INFINITY TURBINE LLC