ORC

The abbreviation for Organic Rankine Cycle. A Rankine cycle that uses an organic, high-molecular mass fluid with a liquid-vapor phase change, or boiling point, occurring at a lower temperature than that required for a water-steam phase change. This cycle allows heat recovery from lower temperature sources such as biomass combustion, industrial waste heat, geothermal heat, solar ponds, etc. The captured low-temperature heat can be converted into useful work, then converted into electricity.