The Development of a Transient Analysis Platform of Near-Critical CO2 Thermodynamic Systems via an Enthalpy-Based Implicit Continuous Eulerian Approach

Abstract

This work presents the development and validation of an enthalpy-based implicit continuous Eulerian (ICE) solver, termed the near-critical ICE solver (NICES), for the analysis of near-critical CO2 thermodynamic systems. Traditional approaches relying on pressure and temperature as main inputs for the analysis have limitations in handling CO2 near the critical point, which exhibits unique characteristics and frequent phase changes. To overcome these limitations, this study proposes using enthalpy as a more suitable mathematical modeling approach. The NICES methodology employs the homogeneous equilibrium model and the Span and Wagner equations of state for CO2. This solver demonstrates improved numerical stability and computational speed compared to explicit calculation methods, as validated by frictionless heated pipe scenarios involving phase transitions near the critical point. The enthalpy-based NICES platform can predict thermohydraulics, including multiphase flows, without requiring specialized two-phase flow models.