Micro combined heat and power (CHP) plants operating through an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) using renewable energy are analyzed. The reference system is designed to produce 50kWe. The heat sources of the system are geothermal energy at low temperature (80–100°C) and solar energy. Two...

A micro combined heat and power (CHP) plant operating through an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) using renewable energy is analysed. The reference system is designed to produce 50 kWe. The heat sources of the system are geothermal energy at low temperature (80–100 °C) and solar energy. The...

Selecting the best design options for turbo-expanders to be used in Organic Rankine Power Cycle applications is a difficult task, with special reference to the low-temperature applications (T150°C) which are relevant for specific fields in rapid development (geothermal binary plants, solar...

In this paper, a zero-dimensional model for the design of radial turbo-expanders for ORC applications is discussed, with special reference to the estimation of losses and efficiency; a comparison between different fluids (R134a, R1234yf, R236fa, R245fa, Cyclohexane, N-Pentane) is presented and...

Glass heat pipe solar collectors are becoming very popular for heating/sanitary water production. The use of a double glass system, with vacuum in between (Dewar scheme), allows to minimize heat dispersion to the environment, and to reach potentially temperature levels in competition with much...

This manuscript summarises the results of a project concerning the energy consumption of public buildings and utilities and the evaluation of the most effective and feasible ways to save energy in Certaldo, a small township in Tuscany with approximately 16,000 inhabitants. The energy analysis...