physics

Kalina cycle

Kalina cycle is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kalina cycle rather than just read about it. In short: The Kalina cycle, developed by Alexander Kalina, is a thermodynamic process for converting thermal energy into usable mechanical power. It uses a solution of 2 fluids with different boiling points for its working fluid.

Key takeaways

Kalina cycle belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kalina cycle to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kalina cycle from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Kalina cycle, developed by Alexander Kalina, is a thermodynamic process for converting thermal energy into usable mechanical power. It uses a solution of 2 fluids with different boiling points for its working fluid. Since the solution boils over a range of temperatures as in distillation, more of the heat can be extracted from the source than with a pure working fluid. The same applies on the exhaust (condensing) end. This provides efficiency comparable to a Combined cycle, with less complexity. By appropriate choice of the ratio between the components of the solution, the boiling point of the working solution can be adjusted to suit the heat input temperature. Water and ammonia is the most widely used combination, but other combinations are feasible. Because of this ability to take full advantage of the temperature difference between the particular heat source and sink available, it finds applications in reuse of industrial process heat, geothermal energy, solar energy, and use of waste heat from power plants (Bottoming cycle). Even at lower pressure, a Kalina cycle may have higher efficiency than a comparable Rankine cycle.

Kalina cycle power plants Recoverable heat from industrial processes. The Kalina cycle has been thought to increase thermal power output efficiencies by up to 50% in suitable installations, and is ideally suited for applications such as steel, coal, oil refineries and cement production plants.

The Kashima Steel Works operated by Sumitomo Metal Industries was commissioned in 1999. It produces 3.6MW of electricity and is the longest running commercial application of the Kalina cycle. The Tokyo Bay Oil Refinery operated by Fuji Oil was commissioned in 2005 and produces 4MW of power Geothermal

Husavik facility, Iceland rated 2MW electric power output and 20MW heat power Unterhaching facility, Germany was commissioned in April 2009 and was the first of its kind (low enthalpy) in southern Germany. This plant produces 3.4MW of electric power and 38MW of heating power for the local township of Unterhaching. The plant shut down in 2017. Bruchsal facility, Germany was commissioned in December 2009 and produces 580 kW of electricity. EcoGen Unit, the first ever 50 kW EcoGen unit was installed at Matsunoyama Onsen hot spring at Tokamachi, Niigata in Japan in 2011. The EcoGen units are based on the miniaturization of the Kalina Cycle and designed for the Japanese hot spring market and other low enthalpy geothermal markets.

Second generation A second generation of Kalina cycle systems was developed by Kalina and Kalex LLC. These systems are technically Kalina cycles (in that they utilize multi-component working fluid with variable composition) but they do not use the "Kalina cycle" trademark. Unlike first generation Kalina cycle systems, which are applicable only for relatively low-temperature heat sources, the second generation of Kalina cycle systems is applicable to both low and relatively high temperature heat sources. For low temperature heat sources, second generation Kalina cycles are projected to attain thermal efficiencies higher than those possible with first generation cycles.

Licensing The Kalina cycle trademark and all first generation global patents that are still in force are owned by Wasabi Energy plc. owner of Global Geothermal Ltd., parent company of Recurrent Engineering Inc. Some of the original Kalina cycle patents have expired and have now entered the public domain. Global Geothermal Ltd. (parent company: Wasabi Energy Ltd.) owns all the worldwide entities licensed to deploy the first generation Kalina Cycle process. As a result, GGL controls the Kalina cycle rights and over 200 international patents associated with this technology. The process is currently used via licensing deals with Siemens and Shanghai Shenge New Energy for all their Chinese applications. FLSmidth has the exclusive right in most countries to offer the first generation Kalina cycle technology to the cement and lime industries. All second generation Kalina cycle patents are currently owned by Kalex LLC, a company founded by Kalina.

References

External links link2@www.geothermie.de Kalina, Alexander I., Low Temperature Geothermal System Patent number: 6820421

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kalina cycle

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kalina cycle claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kalina cycle before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kalina cycle ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kalina cycle

In research: Kalina cycle appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kalina cycle in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kalina cycle is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Soviet inventions, Thermodynamic cycles, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kalina cycle outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kalina cycle in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kalina cycle means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kalina cycle out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kalina cycle in simple terms?

Why does Kalina cycle matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kalina cycle?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kalina cycle.