A performance analysis of a novel system of a dual loop bottoming organic Rankine cycle (ORC) with a light-duty diesel engine

A small-scale organic Rankine cycle (ORC) can be used to harness the waste heat from an internal combustion engine. In this paper, the characteristic of a novel system combining a vehicular light-duty diesel engine with a dual loop ORC, which recovers waste heat from the engine exhaust, intake air, and coolant, is analyzed. A high temperature loop recovers the exhaust heat, whereas a low temperature loop recovers the residual heat from the high temperature loop and the waste heat from both the intake air and the coolant. A performance map of the light-duty diesel engine is created using an engine test bench. The heat waste from the exhaust, the intake air, and the coolant are calculated and compared throughout the engine’s entire operating region. Based on these data, the working parameters of the dual loop ORC are defined, and the performance of the combined engine–ORC system is evaluated across this entire region. The results show that the net power of the low temperature loop is higher than that of the high temperature loop, and the relative output power improves from 14% to 16% in the peak effective thermal efficiency region and from 38% to 43% in the small load region. In addition, the brake specific fuel consumption (bsfc) of the combined system decreases significantly throughout the engine’s operating region.