Supercritical carbon dioxide in thermal power engineering

Motivation

Power cycles with supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) as working fluid can lead to a significant increase in power density and efficiency compared to the current state of art, resulting mainly in a reduction of size and complexity of single components. This not only reduces potential investment costs but also contributes to more sustainable power generation with a flexible integration of renewable and secondary heat sources (c.f. Fig. 1).

Properties of supercritical CO₂ and future prospects for its use as working medium in cyclic processes

Properties of sCo₂

• high density
• high heat capacity
• low viscosity
• inexpensive
• non-toxic
• no phase change in supercritical state

Technology potential

• improved compactness of individual components
• reduced component complexity
• higher efficiency in energy conversion
• no water consumption in the process

Benefits and future perspectives

• lower power generation costs
• lower investment costs
• smaller ecological footprint of energy systems
• better access to regenerative and secondary heat sources
• more sustainable power generation

Aim and concept of the lab

The suCOO-Lab is intended to establish the sCO₂ research field in thermal energy technology at TU Dresden. The main focus of the Lab is to establish collaborations with partners from research and industry. With the development of a test facility, the suCOO-Lab provides the basis for initial experimental work. The design is shown as a block diagram in Figure 3.

© Sebastian Rath, TU Dresden

Here you will find the detailed alternative text to figure 2.

Main research topics

The research topics covered by the suCOO-Lab comprise a wide range of different interdisciplinary aspects, depending on the partners involved and their field of application, including:

Basic research

• Fast and highly accurate determination of fluid properties for numerical simulations
• Predictive models for supercritical fluid mixtures
• Experimental validation of numerical approaches
• Heat transfer measurements
• Material behavior and corrosion

Component and process development

• Integration of alternative design and manufacturing concepts
• Sealing concepts for highly dynamic components
• Load flexibility, measurement and control behavior of supercritical energy systems
• Operation limits and process stability
• Safety aspects

Transfer-oriented research

• Coupling sCO₂ process <> efficient storage technology
• Alternative fields of application
• Transfer to existing renewable energy concepts
• Solutions for waste heat recovery in process engineering <> Interface P2O-Lab

Contact persons

© Michael Kretzschmar

Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter

Name

Mr Dr.-Ing. Andreas Jäger

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Contact Information

Organization Name

Professur für Thermodynamik

Professur für Thermodynamik

Address work

Visiting address:

Merkel-Bau (MER), Room 203 Helmholtzstraße 14

01069 Dresden

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work Tel.

fax Fax

+49 351 463-37759

© Michael Kretschmar

Research Associate

Name

Mr Dipl.-Ing. Sebastian Rath

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Contact Information

Address work

Site:

Merkelbau, Room 209 Helmholtzstraße 14

01069 Dresden

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work Tel.

Current partners and public relations

• Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf
• School of Science of the TU Dresden
• Co-organization and participation in the “European sCO2 Conference“

Projects

CARBOSOLA

Publications

Journal articles / conference papers

• Gampe, U.; Henoch, J.; Gerbeth, G.; Hannemann, F.; Rath, S.; Hampel, U.; Glos, S: Concept and preliminary design of a 600 °C+ sCO2 test facility, Proceedings of the 2^nd European sCO2 Conference 2018, Essen, Germany
• Jäger, A.; Bell, I.H.;  Breitkopf, C. (2018): A theoretically based departure function for multi-fluid mixture models, Fluid Phase Equilib. 469,  56–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fluid.2018.04.015.
• Jäger, A.; Mickoleit, E.; Breitkopf, C. (2018): A Combination of Multi-Fluid Mixture Models with COSMO-SAC, Fluid Phase Equilib. 476, 147–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fluid.2018.08.004.
• Jäger, A.; Mickoleit, E.; Breitkopf, C. (2019): Accurate and Predictive Mixture Models Applied to Mixtures with CO2 , Proceedings of the 3rd European sCO2 Conference, September 2019, Paris, Frankreich. https://doi.org/10.17185/DUEPUBLICO/48891.
• Rath, S.; Mickoleit, E.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2021): Study of the Influence of Additives to CO2 on the Performance Parameters of a sCO2-Cycle, Proceedings of the 4th European supercritical CO2 conference, März 2021, Online-Konferenz. https://doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/73965.
• Unger, S.; Müller, J.; Mohankumar, M.B.; Rath, S.; Hampel, U. (2021): Numerical dimensioning of a pre-cooler for sCO2 Power Cycles to Utilize Industrial Waste Heat, Proceedings of the 4th European supercritical CO2 conference, März 2021, Online-Konferenz. https://doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/73968

• Rath, S.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2022): Impact of selective admixture of additives to carbon dioxide on the size of sCO2 power cycle key components, Proceedings of The 7th International Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles Symposium, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 2022.

• Rath, S.; Mickoleit, E.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2022): Systematic analysis of additives on the performance parameters of sCO2 cycles and their individual effects on the cycle characteristics, Energy 252, 123957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2022.12395

• Gotelip, T.; Gampe, U.; Rath, S.; Jäger, A.; Glos, S. (2023): Parametric Analysis of Heat Exchanger Design in a Techno-Economic Optimization of a sCO2 System, Proceedings The 5th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, Prag, Tschechische Republik, 2023. https://doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/77280

•  Rath, S.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2023): Design and Setup of the suCOO-Lab sCO2 Test Facility at TU Dresden, Proceedings The 5th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, Prag, Tschechische Republik, 2023. https://doi.org10.17185/duepublico/77269

• Rath, S.; Gampe, U.; Jäger, A. (2023): Influence of the Equation of State on the Design of sCO2-Power Cycles, Proceedings The 5th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, Prag, Tschechische Republik, 2023. https://doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/77268 

Lectures and posters

•  Jäger, A.; Mickoleit, E.; Bell, I.H.; Breitkopf, C. (2018): Die Kombination von Multifluid-Gemischmodellen mit UNIFAC und COSMO-SAC, Thermodynamik-Kolloquium, September 2018, Kassel. Vortrag.
• Rath, S. (2018): Prospects and Challenges of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide (sCO2) as an Alternative Working Fluid in Power Generation, 32nd Turbomachinery Workshop, Oktober 2018, Szczyrk, Polen, Vortrag.
• Jäger, A.; Mickoleit, E.; Breitkopf, C. (2019): Accurate and Predictive Mixture Models Applied to Mixtures with CO2, 3rd European supercritical CO2 conference, September 2019, Paris, Frankreich, Vortrag.
• Jäger, A.; Mickoleit, M.; Breitkopf, C. (2019): Prädiktive Multifluid-Gemischmodelle angewandt auf Zustandsgrößen im homogenen Gebiet, Thermodynamik-Kolloquium, September 2019, Duisburg, Poster.
• Gampe, U.; Rath, S. (2019): Energiewende – Perspektiven thermischer Turbinen, 51. Kraftwerkstechnisches Kolloquium, Oktober 2019, Dresden, Vortrag
• Glos, S.; Wechsung, M.; Gampe, U.; Rath, S. (2019): Supercritically from heat to power, VGB Fachtagung Gasturbinen und Gasturbinenbetrieb, Juni 2019, Mainz, Vortrag.
• Rath, S.; Mickoleit, E.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2021): Study of the Influence of Additives to CO2 on the Performance Parameters of a sCO2-Cycle, The 4th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, März 2021, Online-Konferenz, Vortrag.
• Unger, S.; Müller, J.; Mohankumar, M.B.; Rath, S.; Hampel, U. (2021): Numerical dimensioning of a pre-cooler for sCO2 Power Cycles to Utilize Industrial Waste Heat, The 4th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, März 2021, Online-Konferenz, Vortrag.

• Rath, S.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2022): Impact of selective admixture of additives to carbon dioxide on the size of sCO2 power cycle key components, The 7th International Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles Symposium, Februar 2022, San Antonio, Texas, USA.

• Gotelip, T.; Jäger, A.; Gampe, U.; Glos, S. (2022): Optimization Strategies of Different sCO2 Architectures for Gas Turbine Bottoming Cycle Applications, 34th Workshop Turbomachinery, September 2022, Danzig, Polen.

• Gotelip, T.; Gampe, U.; Rath, S.; Jäger, A.; Glos, S. (2023): Parametric Analysis of Heat Exchanger Design in a Techno-Economic Optimization of a sCO2 System, Proceedings The 5th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, März 2023, Prag, Tschechische Republik, Vortrag.

• Rath, S.; Gampe, U.; Breitkopf, C.; Jäger, A. (2023): Design and Setup of the suCOO-Lab sCO2 Test Facility at TU Dresden, Proceedings The 5th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, März 2023, Prag, Tschechische Republik, Vortrag.

• Rath, S.; Gampe, U.; Jäger, A. (2023): Influence of the Equation of State on the Design of sCO2-Power Cycles, Proceedings The 5th European sCO2 Conference for Energy Systems, März 2023, Prag, Tschechische Republik, Vortrag.

• Jäger, A. (2023): Supercritical CO2 cycles: principles, modeling, and experimental setups, Workshop on thermophysical properties and related topics, März 2023, Prag, Tschechische Republik, Vortrag.

• Jäger, A. (2023): Blends for sCO2 in Power Cycles, SCARABEUS-Exhibition and Workshop, Juni 2023, Wien, Österreich, Vortrag.