Description:An organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a thermodynamic cycle that is well-suited for waste
heat recovery. It is generally employed for waste heat with temperatures in the range
of 80 °C – 300 °C. When the application is strictly to convert waste heat into work,
thermal efficiency is not recommended as a key performance metric. In such an
application, maximization of the net power output should be the objective rather than
maximization of the thermal efficiency. Two alternative cycle configurations that can
increase the net power produced from a heat source with a given temperature and flow
rate are proposed and analyzed. These cycle configurations are 1) an ORC with twophase
flash expansion and 2) an ORC with a zeotropic working fluid mixture (ZRC).