Low-grade heat sources such as solar thermal, geothermal, exhaust gases and industrial waste heat are suitable alternatives for power generation which can be exploited by means of small-scale Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). This paper combines thermodynamic optimization and economic analysis to assess the performance of single and dual pressure ORC operating with different organic fluids and targeting small-scale applications. Maximum power output is lower than 45 KW while the temperature of the heat source varies in the range 100–200 °C. The studied working fluids, namely R1234yf, R1234ze(E) and R1234ze(Z), are selected based on environmental, safety and thermal performance criteria. Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) and Specific Investment Cost (SIC) for two operation conditions are presented: maximum power output and maximum thermal efficiency. Results showed that R1234ze(Z) achieves the highest net power output (up to 44 kW) when net power output is optimized. Regenerative ORC achieves the highest performance when thermal efficiency is optimized (up to 18%). Simple ORC is the most cost-effective among the studied cycle configurations, requiring a selling price of energy of 0.3 USD/kWh to obtain a payback period of 8 years. According to SIC results, the working fluid R1234ze(Z) exhibits great potential for simple ORC when compared to conventional R245fa.

A new methodology for predicting the real instantaneous in-cylinder volume in the combustion chamber of a reciprocating internal combustion engine is implemented. The mathematical model developed as part of this methodology, takes into consideration the deformations due to pressure and inertial forces, via a deformation constant adjusted through ANSYS^®, using a high-precision CAD model of a SOKAN SK-MDF300 engine. The deformation constant was obtained from the CAD model using the computational tool ANSYS^® and the pressure data was obtained from the engine running at three regimes: 1500, 2500, and 3500 rpm. The results were compared with previous models reported in the literature, showing that the deformation constant obtained has a smaller variation among cycles, which leads to a more precise value of the mechanical deformations. Furthermore, to have a more accurate model of the instantaneous volume variation, a factor taking into consideration the lubricant film behavior is introduced to calculate volumetric variation due to geometrical clearances. The influence of the introduced volumetric variation was evaluated through a process of combustion diagnosis, evidencing the improvement in the predictive capacity of thermodynamic modeling and, therefore, the correct prediction of heat release rate.