Predicting toluene degradation in organic Rankine-cycle engines

This paper describes the measurement of toluene degradation in dynamic loop tests that simulate operation of an organic Rankine-cycle engine. Major degradation products and degradation mechanisms are identified, and degradation is quantified. Results indicate that toluene is a stable fluid with benign degradation products, provided that oxygen is excluded from the engine. A means of predicting degradation in the engine is developed. 3 refs., 4 figs., 5 tabs.