Abstract
Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is widely used to recover low-grade waste heat. The effects of heat-source temperature amplitude and period on ORC systems are discussed based on operating parameters and power-generation performance. The maximum allowable heat-source temperature amplitude under different superheat and average heat-source temperature was discussed. The results showed that the amplitudes of power-generation and operating parameters were proportional to the amplitude. The operating parameters of the system had a certain response time and were proportional to the period. The performance of ORC deteriorated at any amplitude or period. The superheat degree was not conducive to the power-generation performance, but could effectively avoid the working fluid is wet vapor into the expander. This conclusion can be applied to any ORC system driven by a single organic working fluid, which provides theoretical support for the design of control systems and power-generation device.