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Fact Sheet:
Organic Rankine Cycle

Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) technology makes it possible to generate electricity from
waste heat with temperatures down to 300°C, which is too low to use with
conventional steam power plants. ORC technology enables Siemens to provide its
customers with solutions using well-proven components, such as the SST-060 steam
turbine, with low-temperature heat sources. The ORC module is capable of generating
electrical power from 300 kW to 2 MW. The working medium is a chlorine free, non-
toxic, substance with a zero ozone depletion potential.

Waste heat with a temperature of 300°C is just enough to drive the ORC-cycle-process.
The recovery process adds to the efficiency of the process and thus decreases the
overall costs of fuel and energy consumption.

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Potential heat sources for power plants utilizing ORC technology:
• Biomass and biogas
• Sewage gas
• Exhaust gas from gas turbines
• Waste heat from industrial processes
• Process steam

Typical industries with waste heat suitable for ORC technology:

• Chemical Industry
• Glass, cement and ceramics industry
• Food and beverage industry
• Rubber and plastic industry
• Metal and mining industry
• Pulp and paper industry
• Coke industry

Customer benefits provided by the Siemens ORC module:

• Use of highly efficient ORC turbines – the SST-060 steam turbine
• High part-load efficiency
• No erosion of turbine blading using superheated steam (use of dry ORC fluid)
• ORC turbine developed on the basis of the tried-and-tested SST-060 turbine
(installed in more than 850 applications)
• Flexible operation at loads between 10 to 100%
• Simple and compact plant design
• Lower temperatures and pressures as compared to conventional steam cycles
• No water conditioning required
• Unattended operation possible (no additional personnel required)
• Low repair and maintenance effort/costs

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