Probleemstelling:

Two-phase expansion occurs in various applications and often allows for an increase of the total system efficiency. One application is found in the cryogenic industry, where the Joule Thompson valves can be substituted with two-phase expanders resulting in better efficiencies and more liquid at the storage pressure. Another example are thermodynamic cycles such as the trilateral flash cycle or the Organic rankine flash cycle which both perform better than the classic Organic rankine cycle. The main challenge with the implementation of these more efficient cycles is the construction of efficient two-phase expanders, for which the technology is not yet available. A first step is to analyze the process experimentally for which a new setup needs to be designed and constructed.

Doelstelling:

The goal is to develop an experimental setup to describe the phenomena that take place during the flashing in a variable volume working chamber under a range of different inlet conditions. A Python script that models the flashing using the homogeneous relaxation model is (almost) available to use as a basis to size the components, which include an optically accessible reciprocating expander, a high speed camera, a two-phase conditioner, an injection system, a linear actuator, heaters, a pump and measurement equipment. Secondly the setup needs to be validated and a first set of measurements needs to be made to study the impact of operating conditions.

This project aids in achieving DSG 7 by enabling the implementation of more efficient enery production cycles.