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Structured Mesh Generation and Numerical Analysis of a Scroll Expander in an Open-Source Environment

Author

Listed:
  • Ettore Fadiga

    (Department of Engineering (DE), University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Nicola Casari

    (Department of Engineering (DE), University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Alessio Suman

    (Department of Engineering (DE), University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy)

  • Michele Pinelli

    (Department of Engineering (DE), University of Ferrara, 44122 Ferrara, Italy)

Abstract

The spread of the organic rankine cycle applications has driven researchers and companies to focus on the improvement of their performance. In small to medium-sized plants, the expander is the component that has typically attracted the most attention. One of the most used types of machine in this scenario is the scroll. Among the other methods, numerical analyses have been increasingly exploited for the investigation of the machine’s behaviour. Nonetheless, there are major challenges for the successful application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to scrolls. Specifically, the dynamic mesh treatment required to capture the movement of working chambers and the nature of the expanding fluids require special care. In this work, a mesh generator for scroll machines is presented. Given few inputs, the software described provides the mesh and the nodal positions required for the evolution of the motion in a predefined mesh motion approach. The mesh generator is developed ad hoc for the coupling with the open-source CFD suite OpenFOAM. A full analysis is then carried out on a reverse-engineered commercial machine, including the refrigerant properties calculations via CoolProp. It is demonstrated that the proposed methodology allows for a fast simulation and achieves a good agreement with respect to former analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Ettore Fadiga & Nicola Casari & Alessio Suman & Michele Pinelli, 2020. "Structured Mesh Generation and Numerical Analysis of a Scroll Expander in an Open-Source Environment," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:3:p:666-:d:316470
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mendoza, Luis Carlos & Lemofouet, Sylvain & Schiffmann, Jürg, 2017. "Testing and modelling of a novel oil-free co-rotating scroll machine with water injection," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 201-213.
    2. Landelle, Arnaud & Tauveron, Nicolas & Haberschill, Philippe & Revellin, Rémi & Colasson, Stéphane, 2017. "Organic Rankine cycle design and performance comparison based on experimental database," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 1172-1187.
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    4. Declaye, Sébastien & Quoilin, Sylvain & Guillaume, Ludovic & Lemort, Vincent, 2013. "Experimental study on an open-drive scroll expander integrated into an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) system with R245fa as working fluid," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 173-183.
    5. Ma, Zhiwei & Bao, Huashan & Roskilly, Anthony Paul, 2017. "Dynamic modelling and experimental validation of scroll expander for small scale power generation system," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(P3), pages 262-281.
    6. Giuffrida, Antonio, 2017. "Improving the semi-empirical modelling of a single-screw expander for small organic Rankine cycles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 356-368.
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea De Pascale, 2021. "Organic Rankine Cycle for Energy Recovery System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(17), pages 1-3, August.
    2. Jai Pyo Sung & Joon Hong Boo & Eui Guk Jung, 2020. "Transient Thermodynamic Modeling of a Scroll Compressor Using R22 Refrigerant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-21, July.
    3. Jian Sun & Bin Peng & Bingguo Zhu, 2021. "Performance Analysis and Test Research of PEMFC Oil-Free Positive Displacement Compressor for Vehicle," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Casari, Nicola & Fadiga, Ettore & Pinelli, Michele & Randi, Saverio & Suman, Alessio & Ziviani, Davide, 2020. "Investigation of flow characteristics in a single screw expander: A numerical approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).

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