Search Results (200)

Supercritical carbon dioxide (s-CO₂) Brayton cycles have emerged as a promising technology for high-efficiency power generation, owing to their compact architecture and favorable thermophysical properties. However, their performance degrades significantly under cold-climate conditions—such as those encountered in Greenland, Russia, Canada, Scandinavia, and Alaska—due to the proximity to the fluid’s critical point. This study investigates the behavior of the recompression Brayton cycle (RBC) under subzero ambient temperatures through the incorporation of low-critical-temperature additives to create CO₂-based binary mixtures. The working fluids examined include methane (CH₄), tetrafluoromethane (CF₄), nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃), and krypton (Kr). Simulation results show that CH₄- and CF₄-rich mixtures can achieve thermal efficiency improvements of up to 10 percentage points over pure CO₂. NF₃-containing blends yield solid performance in moderately cold environments, while Kr-based mixtures provide modest but consistent efficiency gains. At low compressor inlet temperatures, the high-temperature recuperator (HTR) becomes the dominant performance-limiting component. Optimal distribution of recuperator conductance (UA) favors increased HTR sizing when mixtures are employed, ensuring effective heat recovery across larger temperature differentials. The study concludes with a comparative exergy analysis between pure CO₂ and mixture-based cycles in RBC architecture. The findings highlight the potential of custom-tailored working fluids to enhance thermodynamic performance and operational stability of s-CO₂ power systems under cold-climate conditions. Full article

To address the thermal protection challenges of multiple high-temperature components and the electrical power deficiency in hypersonic vehicles, this study proposes twelve multi-heat-source thermoelectric conversion schemes based on the sCO₂ Brayton cycle. A three-dimensional evaluation system for thermal management is established, incorporating thermal efficiency, coolant mass flow rate, and system mass as key metrics. A comprehensive parameter sensitivity analysis was conducted on the twelve dual-heat-source cycle configurations. For systematic performance comparison, the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) was employed for multi-objective optimization, with Pareto fronts analyzed to determine optimal configurations. The results demonstrate that appropriately increasing the minimum cycle temperature can significantly reduce coolant flow requirements. Multi-objective optimization reveals the following: (1) The pre-compressed aero-comb configuration achieves optimal performance in the efficiency-mass flow rate optimization scenario; (2) Both pre-compressed aero-comb and re-compressed comb-aero configurations show superiority in the efficiency-mass optimization scenario; (3) The pre-compressed aero-comb configuration exhibits lower system mass in low coolant flow regions for the mass flow rate-mass optimization scenario. Overall, the performance of the precompression aero-comb configuration is relatively superior. This work provides an important reference for the design of thermal management systems for hypersonic vehicles. Full article

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO₂) Brayton cycle has emerged as a hot topic of research in the energy field. Among its key components, the sCO₂ compressor has received significant attention. In particular, axial-flow sCO₂ compressors are increasingly being investigated as power systems advance toward high power scaling. This paper reviews global research progress in this field. As for performance characteristics, currently, sCO₂ axial-flow compressors are mostly designed with large mass flow rates (>100 kg/s), near-critical inlet conditions, multistage configurations with relatively low stage pressure ratios (1.1–1.2), and high isentropic efficiencies (87–93%). As for internal flow characteristics, although similarity laws remain applicable to sCO₂ turbomachinery, the flow dynamics are strongly influenced by abrupt variations in thermophysical properties (e.g., viscosities, sound speeds, and isentropic exponents). High Reynolds numbers reduce frictional losses and enhance flow stability against separation but increase sensitivity to wall roughness. The locally reduced sound speed may induce shock waves and choke, while drastic variation in the isentropic exponent makes the multistage matching difficult and disperses normalized performance curves. Additionally, the quantitative impact of a near-critical phase change remains insufficiently understood. As for the experimental investigation, so far, it has been publicly shown that only the University of Notre Dame has conducted an axial-flow compressor experimental test, for the first stage of a 10 MW sCO₂ multistage axial-flow compressor. Although the measured efficiency is higher than that of all known sCO₂ centrifugal compressors, the inlet conditions evidently deviate from the critical point, limiting the applicability of the results to sCO₂ power cycles. As for design and optimization, conventional design methodologies for axial-flow compressors require adaptations to incorporate real-gas property correction models, re-evaluations of maximum diffusion (e.g., the DF parameter) for sCO₂ applications, and the intensification of structural constraints due to the high pressure and density of sCO₂. In conclusion, further research should focus on two aspects. The first is to carry out more fundamental cascade experiments and numerical simulations to reveal the complex mechanisms for the near-critical, transonic, and two-phase flow within the sCO₂ axial-flow compressor. The second is to develop loss models and design a space suitable for sCO₂ multistage axial-flow compressors, thus improving the design tools for high-efficiency and wide-margin sCO₂ axial-flow compressors. Full article

To investigate the operational characteristics of the supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO₂) Brayton cycle and enhance its applicability in practical operating conditions for micro-scale reactors, an experimental platform for a recuperative S-CO₂ Brayton cycle is constructed and investigated. Several controllable operational parameters, including compressor pump frequency, expansion valve opening, and electric heating power, each intrinsically linked to the thermal characteristics of its corresponding equipment, as well as the cooling water flow rate, are systematically adjusted and analyzed. Experimental results demonstrate that the cooling water flow rate has a significantly greater impact on the temperature and pressure of the cycle system compared to other operational parameters. Based on these findings, steady-state experiments are conducted within a pressure range of 8 MPa to 15 MPa and a temperature range of 70 °C to 150 °C. It is observed that the heat exchange capacity of the recuperator decreases as the cooling water flow rate is reduced, suggesting that sufficient cooling efficiency is required to maximize the recuperative function. Under the condition of a maximum system temperature of 150 °C, the isentropic efficiency of the expansion valve decreases with an increase in the inlet pressure of the valve. However, the overall thermal efficiency of the cycle system requires further calculation and assessment following the optimization of the experimental platform. The result of validation of experimental results is less than 20%. The findings presented in this study offer essential data that encompass the potential operational conditions of the CO₂ Brayton cycle section applicable to small-scale reactors, thereby providing a valuable reference for the design and operation of practical cycle systems. Full article

With the advancement of the energy transition, the thermodynamic degradation under high-load conditions and economic bottlenecks of the sCO₂ Brayton cycle have become more prominent. CO₂ mixture working fluids can improve system efficiency and economics through property optimization. However, the dynamic response characteristics of the system under disturbance factors are still unclear. Based on this, this paper establishes a dynamic model of the recompressed Brayton cycle for CO₂ and CO₂–Kr mixture. The dynamic behaviors of the two working fluids under mass flow, heat source power, and rotational speed disturbances are systematically compared, revealing the impact of the addition of Kr on the system’s dynamic response characteristics. From the perspective of the coupling mechanism in a mixture of working fluids, this paper further explores the reasons behind the differences in dynamic performance. The results show that mass disturbances have the most significant impact on the dynamic characteristics of the system. The response time of the turbine outlet temperature in the pure CO₂ system is 15.43 s, with a temperature response amplitude of 12.32 K. When the system recovers to a steady state, the system’s efficiency and specific work are 30.37% and 42.52 kW/kg, respectively. In comparison, the CO₂–Kr system demonstrates better dynamic performance, with the turbine outlet temperature response time reduced by 3.5 s and the temperature fluctuation amplitude decreased by 6.25 K. Additionally, the efficiency and specific work of the CO₂–Kr system increased by 5.77% and 7.29 kW/kg, respectively. The introduction of Kr changes the physical property parameters of the working fluid, enhancing flow stability, and reducing pressure and temperature fluctuations, thereby improving the dynamic performance and disturbance resistance of the CO₂–Kr system. Full article

The cryogenic supercritical hydrogen storage system offers notable advantages including heightened hydrogen storage density and operation under relatively moderate conditions compared to conventional hydrogen storage methodologies. In this study, a cryogenic supercritical hydrogen storage system based on the multi-stage Joule–Brayton refrigeration cycle is presented, analyzed, and optimized. The proposed system employs a five-stage cascade cycle, each stage utilizes a distinct refrigerant, including propane, ethylene, methane, and hydrogen, facilitated by Joule–Brayton cycles, with expanders employed for mechanical work recovery, which is capable of effectively cooling hydrogen from ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure to a cryogenic supercritical state of −223.15 °C (50 K), 18,000 kPa, exhibiting a density of 73.46 kg/m³ and a hydrogen processing capacity of 2 kg_H2/s. The genetic algorithm is applied to optimize 25 key parameters in the system, encompassing temperature, pressure, and flow rate, with the objective function is specific energy consumption. Consequently, the specific energy consumption of the system is 5.71 kWh/kg_H2 with an exergy efficiency of 56.2%. Comprehensive energy analysis, heat transfer analysis, and exergy analysis are conducted based on the optimized system parameters, yielding insights crucial for the development of medium- and large-scale supercritical hydrogen storage systems. Full article

The supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle has been identified as being applicable in a wide variety of applications, and printed circuit heat exchangers (PCHEs) are widely used in these applications due to their good compactness and high thermal efficiency. A PCHE with hybrid-size unit channels has been proposed and found capable of improving the heat transfer performance, but most results were obtained at non-consistent total volume and mass flow rate. Therefore, given the space constraints of heat exchangers in supercritical CO₂ Brayton cycles, this study investigates the application of standard-size and hybrid-size unit channel configurations under different hot-to-cold fluid thermal resistance ratios while maintaining a fixed total volume and consistent total mass flow rate. The results demonstrate that the hybrid-size unit channel configuration fails to enhance heat transfer. The heat transfer rate per volume exhibits a marginal 5.2% reduction at smaller thermal resistance ratios and a drastic 28.9% degradation at larger thermal resistance ratios. The hybrid-size channel configuration significantly improves the pressure drop per unit length on the hot side, achieving maximum reductions of 80.3% and 79.7% under the two thermal resistance ratios, respectively. The enhancement magnitude on the hot side outweighs the increased pressure drop on the cold side. Simultaneously, the ratio of average heat transfer rate to total pumping power exhibits significant differences between the two channel configurations under varying thermal resistance ratios. Under scenarios with substantial thermal resistance disparities, the hybrid-size unit channel configuration achieves a maximum 356.2% improvement in the ratio compared to the identical-size unit channel configuration, whereas balanced thermal resistance ratios lead to a degradation in overall performance. Full article

In the context of central solar receiver systems, the utilisation of S-CO₂ Brayton cycles as opposed to Rankine cycles confers a number of advantages, including enhanced efficiency, the requirement for less sophisticated turbomachinery, and a reduction in water consumption. A pivotal consideration in the design of such systems pertains to the thermal storage system. This work undertakes a comparative analysis of the performance of an S-CO₂ Brayton cycle utilising two distinct types of molten salts, namely solar salts and chloride salts (MgCl₂–KCl), as the heat transfer fluid on the thermal energy storage medium. The present study adopts an energetic and exergetic perspective with the objective of identifying areas of high irreversibility and proposing mechanisms to reduce them. The work is concluded with an analysis of the size of the different components. The overall energy efficiency is determined as 22.29 % and 23.76 % for solar and chloride salts, respectively. In the case of chloride salts, this efficiency is penalized by the higher losses in the solar receiver due to the higher operating temperature. The exergy analysis shows that using MgCl₂–KCl salts increases exergy destruction in the recuperators, lowering irreversibilities in other components. While the sizes of all components decrease when using chloride salts, the volume of the storage system increases. These results demonstrate that the incorporation of MgCl₂–KCl salts enhances the performance of S-CO₂ recompression cycles operating in conjunction with a central solar receiver. Full article

In the context of the global energy structure transformation, concentrated solar power (CSP) technology has gained significant attention. Its future trajectory is oriented towards the construction of ultra-high temperature (700–1000 °C) power plants, aiming to enhance thermoelectric conversion efficiency and economic competitiveness. Chloride molten salts, serving as a crucial heat transfer and storage medium in the third-generation CSP system, offer numerous advantages. However, they are highly corrosive to metal materials. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the corrosion behaviors of stainless steels and high-temperature alloys in molten salts. It analyzes the impacts of factors such as temperature and oxygen, and it summarizes various corrosion types, including intergranular corrosion and hot corrosion, along with their underlying mechanisms. Simultaneously, it presents an overview of the types, characteristics, impurity effects, and purification methods of molten salts used for high-temperature heat storage and heat transfer. Moreover, it explores novel technologies such as alternative molten salts, solid particles, gases, liquid metals, and the carbon dioxide Brayton cycle, as well as research directions for improving material performance, like the application of nanoparticles and surface coatings. At present, the corrosion of metal materials in high-temperature molten salts poses a significant bottleneck in the development of CSP. Future research should prioritize the development of commercial alloy materials resistant to chloride molten salt corrosion and conduct in-depth investigations into related influencing factors. This will provide essential support for the advancement of CSP technology. Full article

Climate change and increasing energy demand drive the search for sustainable alternatives for power generation. In this study, an energy, exergy, and exergy-sustainability analysis was performed on a supercritical CO₂ Brayton cycle with intercooling and reheating, coupled to a Kalina cycle for waste heat recovery, using solar energy as a thermal source in Araçuaí, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a city that holds the historical record for the highest temperature recorded in Brazilian territory. The results show that at 900 °C the maximum values of thermal efficiency (56.67%), net power (186.55 kW), and destroyed exergy (621.62 kW) were reached, while the maximum exergy efficiency, 24.92%, was achieved at 700 °C. At a turbine inlet pressure of 18 MPa, the maximum thermal (54.48%) and exergy (24.50%) efficiencies were obtained. Likewise, working with a compressor efficiency of 95%, a thermal efficiency of 54.98%, a net power of 165.84 kW, and an exergy efficiency of 24.62% was achieved, reducing the exergy destroyed to 504.95 kW. The solar field presented the highest rate of irreversibilities (~62.2%). Finally, the exergy-sustainability analysis identified 700 °C as the outstanding operating temperature. This research highlights the technical feasibility of operating Brayton S-CO₂ combined cycles with concentrated solar power (CSP) systems in regions of high solar irradiation, evidencing the potential of CSP systems to generate renewable energy efficiently and sustainably under extreme solar conditions. Full article

Three partly coupled integrated nuclear energy systems are described. These enable base-load nuclear reactors to provide fully dispatchable electricity without greenhouse-gas emissions, thus replacing gas turbines burning natural gas and batteries storing electricity. These hybrid systems link the industrial sector to the electricity sector. Firstly, electricity-to-high-temperature (1800 °C) gigawatt-hour firebrick heat storage converts low-price electricity to high-temperature stored heat to provide dispatchable heat for industry and power generation. Secondly, Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycles (NACC) with thermodynamic topping cycles using high-temperature stored heat or combustible fuel to provide dispatchable electricity. Peak power output can be two to five times the base-load electricity production. The heat-to-electricity efficiency of the thermodynamic topping cycles exceeds 70%. Thirdly, nuclear hydrogen production for industrial markets enables the production of dispatchable electricity where hydrogen is used for energy storage but not to produce heat and electricity. Base-load nuclear reactors send electricity to the grid and/or electrolyzers for hydrogen production depending upon electricity prices. Low-cost hydrogen storage enables us to meet steady-state industrial hydrogen demands, even though hydrogen and grid electricity production is varied. Hydrogen production for industrial uses (ammonia fertilizer, direct reduction of iron ore to iron replacing coke, cellulosic liquid hydrocarbon biofuels replacing crude oil) may exceed 20% of total energy demand and may be a massive source of dispatchable electricity. The biofuels provide storable energy when heat storage is depleted. Full article

This research proposes integrating a combined system from a supercritical Brayton cycle (SBC) at extremely high temperatures and pressures and a conventional ORC cycle. The ORC cycle was evaluated with three working fluids: acetone, toluene, and cyclohexane. Of these, the cyclohexane, thanks to its dry fluid condition, obtained the best result in the sensitivity analysis for the energetic and exergetic evaluations with the most relevant (net power and exergy destruction) for the variation in the most critical performance parameter of the system for both the configuration with reheat and the configuration with recompression. Between the two proposed configurations, the most favorable performance was obtained with a binary system with reheat and recompression; with reheat, the SBC obtained first- and second-law efficiencies of 45.8% and 25.2%, respectively, while the SBC obtained values of 54.8% and 27.9%, respectively, with reheat and recompression. Thus, an increase in overall system efficiency of 30.3% is obtained. In addition, the destroyed exergy is reduced by 23% due to the bypass before the evaporation process. The SBC-ORC combined hybrid system with reheat and recompression has a solar radiation of 950 W/m² K, an exhaust heat recovery efficiency of 0.85, and a turbine inlet temperature of 1008.15 K. The high pressure is 25,000 kPa, the isentropic efficiency of the turbines is 0.8, the pressure ratio is 12, and the pinch point of the evaporator is initially 20 °C and reaches values of 45 °C in favorable supercritical conditions. Full article

This paper develops a system–component integrated design method for a closed Brayton cycle in a nuclear-powered emergency power vehicle, optimizing the thermodynamic performance by varying the maximum operating temperature and pressure, minimum operating temperature, helium–xenon gas molar mass, and PCHE parameters to maximize the specific power and thermal efficiency. The key results are as follows: (1) The maximum allowable pressure decreases with the temperature, and the specific power increases for both the SRC and the IRC without considering the ultimate heat sink. (2) The PCHE weight is minimized at a helium–xenon gas molar mass of 25 g/mol, while the turbomachine’s weight decreases with an increasing molar mass, leading to an overall system weight reduction. (3) The thermal efficiency decreases with lower minimum operating temperatures, optimizing at 350 K due to a precooler weight increase. (4) The thermal efficiency plateaus after a certain number of PCHE channels, with the recuperator effectiveness significantly impacting the performance. (5) The SRC, with a specific power and a thermal efficiency of 194.38 kW/kg and 39.19%, is preferred over the IRC for the SIMONS due to its mobility and rapid deployment. This study offers a comprehensive analysis for optimizing closed Brayton cycle systems in emergency power applications. Full article

Improvement of energy efficiency in technological processes at industrial enterprises is one of the key areas of energy saving. Reduction of energy costs required for the production of energy-intensive products can be achieved through the utilization of waste heat produced by high-temperature thermal furnace units. Generation of electric power based on the waste heat using power cycles with working fluids that are not conventional for large power engineering, may become a promising energy saving trend. In this paper, thermodynamic analysis and optimization of power cycles for the purposes of waste heat recovery are performed. The efficiency of combining several power cycles was also evaluated. It has been established that the combination of the Brayton recompression cycle on supercritical carbon dioxide with the organic Rankine cycle using R124 allows for greater electrical power than steam-power cycles with three pressure circuits under conditions where the gas temperature is in the range of 300–550 °C and the cooling temperature of is up to 80 °C. Additionally, when cooling gases with a high sulfur and moisture content to 150 °C, the combined cycle has greater electrical power at gas temperatures of 330 °C and above. At enterprises where the coolant has a high content of sulfur compounds or moisture and deep cooling of gases will lead to condensation, for example, at petrochemical and non-ferrous metallurgy enterprises, the use of combined cycles can ensure a utilization efficiency of up to 45%. Full article

This study proposes a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle incorporating multi-stage main compressor intermediate cooling (MMCIC sCO₂ Brayton cycle), and conducts an in-depth investigation and discussion on the enhancement of its thermodynamic performance. With the aim of achieving the maximum power cycle thermal efficiency and the maximum specific net work, this study examines the variation of the Pareto frontier with respect to the number of intermediate cooling stages and critical operational parameters. The results indicate that the MMCIC sCO₂ Brayton cycle offers significant advantages in improving power cycle thermal efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and mitigating the adverse effects associated with main compressor inlet temperature increasing. Under the investigated operational conditions, the optimal cycle performance is achieved with four intermediate cooling stages, yielding a maximum power cycle thermal efficiency of 67.85% and a maximum specific net work of 0.177 MW·kg⁻¹. Cycles with two or three intermediate cooling stages also deliver competitive cycle performance, and can be regarded as alternative options. Additionally, increasing the turbine inlet temperature proves more effective for enhancing power cycle thermal efficiency, whereas increasing the turbine inlet pressure can substantially improve the specific net work. This study provides a feasible structural layout approach and research framework to improve the thermodynamic performance of the sCO₂ Brayton cycle, offering a robust theoretical foundation and technical guidance for its implementation in power engineering. Full article