ORC Power plants

Electricity and heat from renewable energies

Organic Rankine Cycle power plants are based on the principle of converting thermal energy into mechanical work, which is converted into electrical energy via a generator.

The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is a closed thermodynamic cycle in which a low-boiling, organic working medium circulates.

Due to the special properties of synthetic working media, it is possible to convert electrical energy from the thermal utilization of heat sources, such as waste heat from industrial processes, geothermal heat, waste heat from internal combustion engines or from the combustion of biomass.

Utilities & Energy

Main components of an ORC power plant:

Evaporator
Preheater
Turbine | Expander
Generator
Capacitor
Pump
Heat exchanger | Recuperator

In addition to these main components, INTEC-GMK supplies additional components such as:
Valves, regulators, control units, sensors and safety devices to ensure safe and efficient operation.

MoreLess

ORC Power plants

Low temperature ORC

While it is not economical to use thermal energy at a temperature level below 100 °C with a water-steam cycle, the ORC cycle is ideally suited for this task. INTEC GMK has developed a highly efficient, reliable and cost-effective solution to convert low-temperature heat into electricity.

For thermal outputs from 50 kW to approx. 4,000 kW, screw expanders are used in ORC systems. With these machines, our systems can generate electrical power from 5 kilowatts to several hundred kilowatts.

ORC Power plants

High temperature ORC

Heat is often available at temperatures well over 100 °C. Examples of this are exhaust gas streams from engines or industrial processes (300 °C - 450 °C). There is enormous energy potential available when using geothermal energy. This temperature level is between 120 °C and 140 °C. Furthermore, energy from thermal oil circuits, which are heated by biomass combustion, can be used to generate electricity via ORC systems.

A common application is the partial energy utilization from thermal oil circuits by lowering the return temperature of the heat transfer oil.

To use such high-temperature energy, self-developed, efficient ORC turbines are used, which enable the generation of electricity with a high degree of efficiency.