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Turboden is a clean tech organization that designs, produces and manufactures Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems to use with a wide range of sources to produce dispatchable energy.
Published February 26, 2021
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Updated November 21, 2024
Energy Transition
Industrial Decarbonization
Sustainability
Electrification & Efficiency
New Energies
Power & Efficiency
Product Overview
Overview
Turboden is an Italian firm and a global leader in the design, manufacture and maintenance of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) and Large HEat Pumps (LHP) systems, highly suitable to contribute to the worldwide efforts to mitigate global warming by creating reliable and clean energy systems.
Turboden was founded in 1980 and has more than 40 years of experience in waste heat recovery. They have a focus on the sustainable development goals, specifically identifying with goal number 7, 8, 9, 12, 12, 15 and 17. Related to clean energy, decent work, and environment.
Turboden has 3 main products:
Large Heat Pumps: process residual heat streams can be exploited by means of an electric-fed heat pump to provide higher temperature heat either for internal or external use. All other heat sources can also be exploited to increase thermal power. Up to 50 MWth per unit.
ORC Systems: a unit based on a closed-loop thermodynamic cycle that generates electricity and geothermal power, specially suited for distributed generation. The ORC Systems have a large range of sizes, can use different primary energy sources (renewable and non-renewables), different fluids and in a large rangeability of temperatures (from less than 100°C up to 400°C). Up to 20 MW per unit and in some cases exceeding isoentropic efficiency 90%.
Gas Expanders: NG is typically provided at high pressures then reduced by a natural gas pressure reduction station. When reducing the gas pressure, the Gas Expands. In this process, the gas expander produces electricity. Turboden is developing a number of solutions that will take into account the possibility of adding hydrogen to the pipeline. Wide range of solutions, starting from 100 kWe (indicatively 5,000 Sm3/h with a pressure ratio of 9-10)
Business Model
Turboden commercializes 3 main products:
- Large Heat Pump
- ORC System
- Gas Expander This are modular product that adapt to the customers needs and available space.
Technology Innovations
- More than 60 different axial turbines were designed and realized for various projects, from 2 to 6 stages reaching up to 20 MW of power and in some cases exceeding isentropic efficiency 90%.
- Turboden has developed a deep understanding of fluid properties, thermal stability and flammability, key factors in the decision on the best fluid for each specific application.
- Different primary energy sources, from renewable energy (geothermal, solar, biomass) to energy efficiency (i.e. waste heat from industrial processes) to conventional fuels (natural gas, flare gas)
- Large rangeability: different temperatures of the source (even below 100°C through selection of proper working fluid); partial load (the ORC system keeps high electrical efficiency even when operating with lower thermal power input, even 10% of the nominal one)
- The efficiency of the ORC system is always optimized: on average at 50% load, electrical efficiency is still 90% of the nominal electrical efficiency.
- Cogeneration mode or power-only mode. In cogeneration, the thermal output can be hot water or steam
- Ease of integration into pre-existing systems (i.e. in waste heat recovery from industrial processes)
- Island mode capability
Applications
ORC systems can generate electric and thermal power exploiting multiple sources, such as renewables (biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy), traditional fuels and waste heat from industrial processes, waste incinerators, engines or gas turbines.
In terms of energy efficiency:, these solutions apply for:
- Large Heat Pumps
- Waste heat recovery
- Combined Cycles
- O&G
- High Temperature CHP
- Gas Expanders
And in terms of renewables for:
- Geothermal
- Biomass
- Waste to energy
- Concentrated Solar Power