During the first part of the project, which includes the first 18 months, DECAGONE's activities were organised on multiple axes in order to set up the work for the achievement of the project's general objectives.
Without forgetting any objectives, at the beginning the main focus was placed on the engineering for the development of new component architectures, models and technologies.
Therefore, after an extensive site analysis, the basic design was realised, considering the practical site-specific conditions and limitations, such as variations in heat source conditions, heat sink availability, and size and space limitations for the ORC components. Various cycle configurations have been compared with a thermodynamic optimization model for maximizing the net power output subject to the process constraints. In parallel, research activities on the use of mixtures, material/fluid compatibility and active charge management were conducted.
The results from this activity provides a design that went through detailed engineering, with a focus on dynamic simulations, off-design analysis and demonstrator detailed engineering.
With regard to component development, during the first 18 months of the project, the specifications for the waste heat recovery unit, heat exchangers and condenser were defined, even going so far as to validate the solution proposed by the vendor. In addition, the concept of a large thermocline thermal energy storage unit was studied, which could reduce the thermal load fluctuation from industrial waste heat from the steel mill. Its integration within the system was analysed and the detailed engineering of the component was started. Finally, the concept of the hermetic turbogenerator supported on magnetic bearings is being engineered.
With regard to the ambition to raise awareness on waste-heat-to-power, work has been done to produce an analysis of the market and the regulatory landscape at European level.
