Periodic Reporting for period 2 - REGEN-BY-2 (Next REnewable multi-GENeration technology enabled by TWO-phase fluids machines)
Período documentado: 2022-03-01 hasta 2023-02-28
REGEN-BY-2 will research, design, construct and experiment a first-of-its-kind lab-scale prototype of a recent near worldwide patented thermodynamic cycle and related plant for the conversion of thermal sources in energy vectors, i.e. electric, heating and-or cooling powers. The start-up TIFEO, which was founded in 2018 by the team leading this proposal and is the exclusive licensee of the patent driving REGEN-BY-2, is a potential European Unicorn. REGEN-BY-2 can convert (from small to large-scale) any typology of renewable thermal source from low to high-temperature (e.g. solar, aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal) including additional thermal sources (e.g. waste heat). REGEN-BY-2 is enabled by machines capable to work with two-phase fluids, i.e. constituted by both liquid and vapor phases. The patented thermodynamic cycle is highly efficient as it is constituted by a proper combination of Carnot cycles operating with two-phase fluid circulating in novel two-phase expanders and two-phase compressors. To be successful, these two-phase machines will have to be designed, prototyped and integrated in the REGEN-BY-2 lab-scale prototype. Moreover, the patented technology has large flexibility due to the control of many process parameters, allowing chasing and satisfying the end-users energy demands in a predictable and dispatchable way. By the exploitation of renewable thermal sources from small to large-scale, by converting them more efficiently and with more flexibility into electric, heating and-or cooling energy vectors, REGEN-BY-2 will induce greater demand for and increasing use of renewable thermal sources. REGEN-BY-2 is a breakthrough in our energy infrastructure as it can be used in wide energy sectors (e.g. District Heating & Cooling systems and Distributed Renewable Flexible Energy systems). The research is low-TRL and high risk. For this, a full value international chain is assembled (Universities, RTOs, SMEs, Large Enterprises, a Standards Organization).
WP1
- Quality assurance plan
- Project Management plan
- External Advisory Board Creation
WP2
- End-users identification:
- Working fluid selected.
- The thermodynamic cycle design point selected
- Plant preliminary design
- Plant components preliminary sizing
- Preliminary plant safety analysis
- Plant control system design
- Plant off-design modelling and simulation
- Plant dynamic model construction (ongoing)
WP3
- Development of a two-phase expander model
- Building of the first stage of the dedicated test rig.
- Testing of commercial expander in two-phase conditions
- Preliminary design of the prototype scroll expander
- CFD simulation model for the investigation of the fluid flow
- Construction of the first lab-scale prototype of expander
- Building of the final stage of the dedicated test rig with the mounted prototype scroll expander
- Testing of prototype scroll expander (ongoing)
WP4
- Modelling, simulations and thermodynamic sensitivity analysis of the two-phase compressors
- Preliminary design of the first lab-scale prototype of two-phase compressor
- Testing of commercial single-phase compressor operating in two-phase conditions
- CFD simulations of the first lab-scale prototype of compressor
- Construction of the first lab-scale prototype of compressor
- Testing of the POE44 oil in the test bench
WP5
- Selection of the experimental setup installation site
- Definition of the technical requirements of the biomass fired heat generator
- Identification of possible suppliers of the biomass fired heat generator.
- Continuous interactions with the partners of WP2 on the design choices (M&E balance, PFD, process control logic)
- Preliminary HAZOP analysis has started
- Detailed design of the pilot unit was started and is currently ongoing
WP7
- Preliminary PESTLE Analysis.
- Assessment of most interesting industrial sectors.
- Analysis of current electric market role (and favourable regulation/feed-in/incentives at EU countries level) of: ORC/WH2P systems (low temperature WH sources driven electric power units); small scale thermal RES and polygeneration systems.
- Analysis of ancillary services needs and WH2P/dispatchable renewable energy resource (RES) feed-in existing as favourable conditions
- Development of a CBA/LCC calculation tool (on going)
- REGEN-BY-2 deployment roadmap and strategy activity started
- Measures for future regulation (on going)
- Preliminary market analysis
WP8
- D8.1: REGEN-BY-2 website and communication materials (M3, R2M)
- D8.2: Communication and Dissemination Plan (M6, R2M)
- D8.3: Stakeholders Database (M28, R2M)
- D8.6: Data Management Plan (M6, R2M)
- MS13: REGEN-BY-2 Stakeholder Database reaches 100 members (M28)
- 2 issues of the e-newsletter released
- 1 poster & 1 infographic created and updated
- Website & social media KPIs achieved
- 3 Open Access publications (1 journal article + 2 conference papers)
- 6 conferences attended by partners
- 2 Technological Workshops organised
WP9
- NEC - Requirement No. 1
- EPQ - Requirement No. 2
- Quality assurance plan
- Project Management plan
- External Advisory Board Creation
WP2
- End-users identification:
- Working fluid selected.
- The thermodynamic cycle design point selected
- Plant preliminary design
- Plant components preliminary sizing
- Preliminary plant safety analysis
- Plant control system design
- Plant off-design modelling and simulation
- Plant dynamic model construction (ongoing)
WP3
- Development of a two-phase expander model
- Building of the first stage of the dedicated test rig.
- Testing of commercial expander in two-phase conditions
- Preliminary design of the prototype scroll expander
- CFD simulation model for the investigation of the fluid flow
- Construction of the first lab-scale prototype of expander
- Building of the final stage of the dedicated test rig with the mounted prototype scroll expander
- Testing of prototype scroll expander (ongoing)
WP4
- Modelling, simulations and thermodynamic sensitivity analysis of the two-phase compressors
- Preliminary design of the first lab-scale prototype of two-phase compressor
- Testing of commercial single-phase compressor operating in two-phase conditions
- CFD simulations of the first lab-scale prototype of compressor
- Construction of the first lab-scale prototype of compressor
- Testing of the POE44 oil in the test bench
WP5
- Selection of the experimental setup installation site
- Definition of the technical requirements of the biomass fired heat generator
- Identification of possible suppliers of the biomass fired heat generator.
- Continuous interactions with the partners of WP2 on the design choices (M&E balance, PFD, process control logic)
- Preliminary HAZOP analysis has started
- Detailed design of the pilot unit was started and is currently ongoing
WP7
- Preliminary PESTLE Analysis.
- Assessment of most interesting industrial sectors.
- Analysis of current electric market role (and favourable regulation/feed-in/incentives at EU countries level) of: ORC/WH2P systems (low temperature WH sources driven electric power units); small scale thermal RES and polygeneration systems.
- Analysis of ancillary services needs and WH2P/dispatchable renewable energy resource (RES) feed-in existing as favourable conditions
- Development of a CBA/LCC calculation tool (on going)
- REGEN-BY-2 deployment roadmap and strategy activity started
- Measures for future regulation (on going)
- Preliminary market analysis
WP8
- D8.1: REGEN-BY-2 website and communication materials (M3, R2M)
- D8.2: Communication and Dissemination Plan (M6, R2M)
- D8.3: Stakeholders Database (M28, R2M)
- D8.6: Data Management Plan (M6, R2M)
- MS13: REGEN-BY-2 Stakeholder Database reaches 100 members (M28)
- 2 issues of the e-newsletter released
- 1 poster & 1 infographic created and updated
- Website & social media KPIs achieved
- 3 Open Access publications (1 journal article + 2 conference papers)
- 6 conferences attended by partners
- 2 Technological Workshops organised
WP9
- NEC - Requirement No. 1
- EPQ - Requirement No. 2
- Being the overall system performance among the selection criteria, the final working fluid was chosen only after the sensitivity analysis and thermodynamic cycle optimisation.
- The presence of the oil mixed with the refrigerant in the two-phase expander has challenged the overall efficiency, and requested an in-depth analysis which goes beyond the conventional thermodynamic selection criteria.
- The presence of the oil mixed with the refrigerant in the two-phase expander has challenged the overall efficiency, and requested an in-depth analysis which goes beyond the conventional thermodynamic selection criteria.