Abstract
In the field of low-grade heat energy utilization, organic Rankine cycle (ORC) has gained enough worldwide attention in recent years. Scroll expander has become a good candidate for micro and small-scale ORC applications because of its reliability, compact structure, fewer moving parts, lower level of noise and vibration. This paper reviews the relevant research studies for getting insight into the application and research status of the scroll expander applied to ORC, including its technical features, performances and the main technical limitations existing in application. Available simulation methods for investigating and optimizing the scroll expander performance are also summarized and discussed, which would be beneficial for designing high efficiency scroll expanders for ORC systems. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.