KCORC Scholarships

 

Recipients of the KCORC 2018 Scholarship (4th call for proposals)


Antonios Charalampidis 

Experimental investigation of a small-scale prototype of a reversible heat pump/ORC-based thermally integrated Carnot Battery

Institution: National Technical University of Athens, Greece

Host institution: University of Liege, Belgium

Biography:

I received the Diploma degree in Mechanical Engineering at the National Technical University of Athens and am currently a PhD student at the Laboratory of Steam Boilers and Thermal Plants of NTUA, working on the field of heat pump, ORC, and reversible heat pump/ORC systems, participating in relevant projects.

Project aims:

The project aimed at operating a reversible heat pump/ORC system dedicated for Carnot Battery application, i.e., storage of electricity by upgrading heat for operating an ORC. The final aim of the project was the reliable operation of the unit and its characterization.

Summary of work:

The work undertaken included first the commissioning of the reversible system built in the host institution. In this context, all valves, actuators, motors, and circulator pumps, were connected to a dedicated developed control system. Following the commissioning, the system was operated in heat pump and ORC operating modes varying the low and the high temperatures of the system, thus simulating the operation of the thermally integrated Carnot Battery under different waste heat and storage temperatures, as well as storage temperature spreads (capacities). As a result of the experimental campaign, the system, and its main components (expander/compressor, heat exchangers) were characterized.

How the scholarship helped:

The scholarship had many positive outcomes. First, it provided experience in the design and operation of such systems, as it was the first time for me to be involved in experimental work. Moreover, the personnel of the host institution shared its experience and knowledge with me, which helped me improve my technical and analysis skills. In addition, it helped me to better orient towards this field and define the aims of my PhD thesis. Finally, it constituted the starting point of collaboration between the two institutions leading to further collaboration in similar projects and knowledge exchange.​

Key outputs:

Dumont O., Charalampidis A., Lemort V. and Karellas S. Experimental investigation of a thermally integrated Carnot battery using a reversible heat pump/organic Rankine cycle. 2021 Purdue International Compressor Engineering, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning, and High Performance Buildings Conference. 24-28 May 2021. Purdue, USA (Online)


Haoshui Yu

Power generation from LNG regasification: techno-economic comparison between ORCs and sub/trascritical CO2 cycle considering process design and optimization

Institution: NTNU, Norway

Host institution: KU Leuven, Belgium

Biography:

Dr. Haoshui Yu was a postdoc at Norwegian University of Science and Technology when he won the scholarship in 2019. Armed with the honour of the KCORC scholarship, Dr. Haoshui Yu obtained a postdoctoral position at MIT and a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship at Technical University of Denmark. Currently, Dr. Haoshui is an Associate Professor at Aalborg University. 

Project aims:

The project aimed at the optimal conceptual design of an integrated power cycle system utilizing LNG cold energy. Specifically, the project aimed at comparing the component size and manufacturing costs for ORC and CO2 power cycles for LNG cold energy utilization.

Summary of work:

Single- and dual-cycle power generation systems were proposed and modelled within this study. A single unified model was developed in the Python language and that is able model different cycle configurations (subcritical, transcritical, supercritical). The rigorous thermodynamic model and system configuration model are established based on the CoolProp platform.

How the scholarship helped:

The scholarship enhanced the collaboration with Prof. Sylvain Quoilin who is a prominent expert in the field of thermal power systems and smart energy systems. I won this scholarship in 2019 and the scholarship helped me a lot during my job search, which eventually led to being appointed as an Associate Professor at Aalborg University in September 2021. The scholarship has certainly been beneficial to my research as well as my career. 

Key outputs:

Yu, H., Guo, N., Quoilin, S., Sin, G., 2021, Performance comparison of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and CO2 cycle for simultaneous utilization of liquefied natural gas (LNG) cold energy and solar energy, 6th International Seminar on ORC Power Systems, October 11 - 13, 2021, Munich, Germany


Yongqiang Feng

Working fluid selection and thermo-economical optimization of organic Rankine cycle using nano-mixture working fluids

Institution: Jiangsu University, China

Host institution: Imperial College London, United Kingdom

Biography:

I am Yongqiang Feng, Associate Professor of Jiangsu University. I have undertaken a significant amount of work on the thermo-economic optimization of ORC systems in this context, and published over 20 papers and books on this topic. I have proposed models for working-fluid mixtures and have also conducted a series of experimental tests on the operational characteristics of a 3-kWel ORC prototype when using 3 working-fluid mixtures (0.67R123/0.33R245fa, 0.50R123/0.50R245fa and 0.33R123/0.67R245fa) along with a comparison against 2 pure working fluids (R123 and R245fa).

Summary of work:

I am now currently leading an on-going project to improve the thermo-economic proposition of ORC systems by employing nano-mixture working fluids, in which nano-particle additives are used to overcome the known limitations of phase-change heat transfer experienced by multi-component fluid mixtures. This can provide a solution to the known heat-exchange performance deterioration experienced when using mixtures and unlock their promise in reducing the thermo-dynamic irreversibility associated with heat-transfer in the cycle, and improving its efficiency.