Experimental Evaluation of a Diesel Cogeneration System for Producing Power and Drying Aromatic Herbs

Abstract

The focus of this work was to evaluate the thermal performance of a cogeneration system used to produce power and dry aromatic herbs. The waste heat from the exhaust gases of the diesel engine was recovered to heat air using a thermosyphon heat exchanger. The heated air was employed in a convective tray dryer in order to dry Origanum vulgare, Mentha spicata, and Ocimum basilicum. The experiments were carried out at full load in a stationary compression ignition engine coupled to a generator. The maximum global energy efficiency of the cogeneration system was 40.14%, and the effectiveness of the heat exchanger achieved 39%.

Integration of biodiesel internal combustion engines and transcritical organic Rankine cycles for waste‐heat recovery in small‐scale applications

“…27,35 To increase the sustainability of compression-ignition engines, combined heat, and power (CHP) configurations represent an effective option, capable of raising the global efficiency and operation flexibility of traditional systems based on separate energy production. 36,37 Moreover, the research community has been focusing more and more attention on waste heat recovery (WHR) that presents the highest potential to improve ICE performance among different energy-saving technologies. 38 In this context, integrated systems based on internal combustion engines (ICE) and organic Rankine cycles (ORC) for stationary applications, [39][40][41] assure high efficiency, reliability, and simplicity.…”