Carbon Dioxide Brayton Power Cycle Research Articles

Effects of different load variation rates on the operational stability in an S–CO2 Brayton cycle coupled natural circulation lead-cooled fast reactor

The thermal inertia results in net heat absorption in natural circulation lead-cooled reactors during power variation processes, increasing the risk of core meltdown. In this study, a dynamic simulation model of a natural circulation lead-cooled fast reactor coupled with a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton Cycle power generation system has been developed based on Vpower. The influence of thermal inertia on system operating temperature under different power variation rates was discussed. The results indicate that during power reduction, different decline rates only affect the temperature variation range of the system without impacting the final stable state. However, during power increase, different ramp rates not only affect the temperature variation range but also lead to varying degrees of system temperature rise. To address this issue, an optimized turbine throttling scheme is proposed. Compared to the original plan, the new plan successfully stabilizes the temperature at the rated value after increasing the system power. This study provides insights for the operation control strategy of similar reactor types.

Heat Transfer of an Integrated Counterflow Ceramic Heat Exchanger

The ceramic-based heat exchanger is one of the leading contenders for high-efficiency concentrating solar power plants using a molten salt heat transfer fluid and a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle operating at temperatures above 700 °C due to the excellent resistance of ceramics to corrosion, oxidation, erosion, creep, and fouling. In the present study, the thermal performance of a ceramic silicon carbide prototype heat exchanger, with semi-elliptical heat transfer channels, integrated header channels, and a counterflow configuration fabricated by using binder jetting additive manufacturing, was experimentally investigated. Experimental heat transfer tests of the prototype were conducted at high temperatures and under various test fluid flow rates and inlet temperatures. The experimental heat transfer rates compared favorably with simulation predictions.

Techno-economic analysis on the design of sensible and latent heat thermal energy storage systems for concentrated solar power plants

One feasible solution to reduce the cost of concentrated solar power is to employ a higher temperature and efficiency supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle. An alternative heat transfer medium and thermal energy storage (TES) system therefore needs to be explored. This work considered a variety of phase change materials (PCMs) and graphite as the storage media in four indirect shell-and-tube storage configurations, including a 3-PCM and 5-PCM cascade storage, a PCM-graphite-PCM hybrid storage and a single graphite storage. The sizing and design of the TES systems were performed by using a dynamic cycling methodology based on a transient 2D numerical model. The cost of those designs were then determined by using an economic model developed inhouse. This work also investigates the impact of some geometric parameters and cost assumptions on the techno-economic performance of the TES system. The analysis suggests a scenario exists whereby a low thermal efficiency storage system which therefore utilises less tube or storage material could be more cost-effective. Overall, the cost of hybrid TES is the lowest among all studied systems, at $26.96/kWht and $21.49/kWht for charging temperature of 720 °C and 750 °C, respectively, followed by the 5-PCM storage at $28.06/kWht and $21.82/kWht, respectively.

Modeling and analysis of air-cooled heat exchanger integrated with supercritical carbon dioxide recompression Brayton cycle

This paper investigates the thermal performance of the recompression supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle integrated with a direct air-cooled heat exchanger. The desirable attributes for economical concentrated solar power plants are their integration ability with thermal energy storage and to accommodate dry cooling. The expressively influencing parameters such as compressor inlet temperature, pressure, and split mass fraction have been investigated for cycle maximum efficiency under arid climatic conditions. The cooling process of supercritical carbon dioxide, unlike steam condensation, is sensible heat transfer with the non-linear variation of thermophysical properties. Effective, efficient, and affordable heat exchanger technology is crucial for the deployment of supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycles in concentrated solar power plants. A MATLAB code has been developed for an air-cooled heat exchanger with multi-pass sub heat exchanger approach to overcome the inevitable temperature variations at the extreme end of the gas cooler. A two dimensional discretization methodology is used to model the heat exchanger to accommodate the rapidly varying isobaric heat capacity in the critical temperature region. The heat transfer and pressure drop performance are calculated using empirical correlations for the Nusselt number and friction factor for each sub-heat exchanger. With the increased contact time of cooling and process fluid, the desired gas cooler outlet temperature of 33.5 °C is achieved by rejecting 823.76 kW, 359.5 kW, and 219.46 kW amount of heat from each sub-heat exchanger, respectively. The results of this work are of significance for the design of the air-cooled heat exchanger for the supercritical carbon dioxide power generation system.

Transient Thermodynamic Modeling of Air Cooler in Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycle for Solar Molten Salt Application

Abstract Supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle is getting commercially attractive for power generation due to numerous advantages like zero water usage, compactness, low environmental emission, and potential to reach high thermal efficiency at lower costs. A typical recuperated closed cycle consists of three heat exchangers (main heat exchanger, cooler, and recuperator) and two turbomachinery (turbine and compressor). Rapid changes in ambient temperature, operating loads, start-ups, and shutdowns affect the performance and operation of the turbomachinery and heat exchangers. The purpose of this research article is to study the thermodynamic parameters of the air cooler during transient operations by running dynamic simulations. Magnitude of change in carbon dioxide temperature due to change in air temperature is calculated. The simulation is a setup by having a steady-state design of 100 MWe cycle with operating temperature of 700 °C and pressure of 250 bar. Dynamic simulations are done using lms amesim. Transients studied in this article include: (i) step variation, (ii) standard variation, and (iii) linear variation of air temperature. This study thus serves as a framework to develop a design and control basis governed by transient scenarios.

Design analysis of a particle-based thermal energy storage system for concentrating solar power or grid energy storage

• Grid-scale energy storage is critical to the growing renewable power integration. • Thermal energy storage (TES) can provide long duration, grid-scale energy storage. • TES using solid particles can be a feasible storage method to support various power cycles. • A containment design method is presented for the particle-based TES. Energy storage is becoming indispensable for increasing renewable energy integration, and it is critical to the future low-carbon energy supply. Large-capacity, grid scale energy storage can support the integration of solar and wind power and support grid resilience with the diminishing capacity of baseload fossil power plants. With the development of thermal energy storage (TES) for concentrating solar power systems, standalone TES for grid integration becomes attractive due to the declining renewable generation cost and an increasing need for energy storage. The standalone TES system introduced in this paper can play a big role in the carbon-free energy future with capacity larger than batteries and cost likely lower than other energy storage methods such as pumped storage hydropower and compressed air energy storage, both of which also have geological limitations. To this end, we describe a TES system that uses stable, inexpensive solid particles as a TES media to provide scalable, low cost energy storage. The particle-based TES has the ability to drive various thermal power cycles including conventional steam-Rankine, air Brayton turbine with combined-cycle ability, or the emerging supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle. This work describes the containment design method including a concrete silo and an internal-insulation layer for the particle-TES system. The economic analysis shows significantly low storage cost when the particle-TES is integrated with Brayton combined-cycle power generation. The paper shows the design approach of the particle-TES system and its economic potential for bulk energy storage. The advantage of the particle-TES system as a promising bulk energy storage method is its ability to economically support dispatchable renewable grid penetration for larger capacity and longer discharging hours than current battery storage technologies.

Pinch Point Analysis of Air Cooler in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle Operating Over Ambient Temperature Range

Abstract The supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle is getting commercially attractive for power generation due to its numerous advantages like zero water discharge, compactness, and low environmental emission and potential to reach high thermal efficiency. A typical recuperated closed cycle consists of three heat exchangers (main heat exchanger, cooler, and recuperator) and two turbomachinery (turbine and compressor). The cooler using ambient air for cooling is the focus of this study. The steady-state air cooler model is set up to study the effect of air cooler size on cycle efficiency. The effect of change in the ambient air temperature on the air cooler pinch point for different air cooler sizes is analyzed using the transient air cooler model. The simulation is set up for the design of the approximately 100 MWe cycle with an operating temperature of 700 °C and a pressure of 250 bar. Transient calculations are done using LMS AMESim. LMS AMESim is the Siemens PLM commercially available software. This work thus serves as a framework to develop a basis for the design of the air cooler in the power cycle as a function of transient operating conditions.

Thermodynamic analysis and performance optimization of the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle combined with the Kalina cycle for waste heat recovery from a marine low-speed diesel engine

With the continuous rise in world oil prices and increasing environmental awareness, how to improve ship energy efficiency and reduce ship pollution emissions has become a common concern of the shipping industry. Waste heat recovery technology is an effective method to improve the fuel economy of ships and help the future ships to meet the increasingly stringent Energy Efficiency Design Index of the International Maritime Organization. Under the thermodynamic analysis results of the 8S90ME-C10.2 low-speed marine diesel engine, this paper proposed a waste heat recovery scheme that combined the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle power generation system with the Kalina cycle power generation system. According to the energy and exergy balances of the combined cycle system, a MATLAB program based on the REFPROP database was established. With the application of control variate method, the influence of the key operating parameters including the main compressor inlet temperature, the turbine inlet temperature, the main compressor outlet pressure, the expander inlet pressure, and the ammonia solution mass concentration on the system performance was thoroughly analyzed. Moreover, the multi-objective optimization matching between the diesel engine and the combined power generation system was carried out from the viewpoints of the thermodynamic performance and economic performance and the impact of the system on the fuel economy and the Energy Efficiency Design Index of the ship was calculated. The results showed that the combined power generation system was used to recycle the waste heat of diesel engine exhaust gas and bypass exhaust gas to generate electricity, which reduced the annual fuel consumption and the Energy Efficiency Design Index to 16.62% and 15.01%, respectively. Finally, this study provides a reference for researchers to study the combined use of supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle and Kalina cycle to recycle the waste heat of the marine diesel engine.

A detailed model of direct dry-cooling for the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle

This study describes a detailed numerical model of large diameter finned tube heat exchangers for a dry-cooled supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton cycle. Multiple-row heat exchangers are discretised into two-dimensional cells, and physical properties and heat transfer coefficients are evaluated locally at each cell to account for the large changes in sCO2 properties near the critical point. Air-flow is modelled as either forced draft, or natural draft within a natural draft dry cooling tower (NDDCT) model. Conditions anticipated for sCO2 Recompression cycle heat rejection are used to determine the heat exchanger area required for the cycle. The influence of different correlations for sCO2-side heat transfer is studied, showing that up to 27% more heat exchange area is predicted using generic-fluid heat transfer correlations when compared to those developed specifically for sCO2. The model is used to determine the effect of design ambient temperature on the heat exchanger size, as well as heat exchanger performance at elevated off-design ambient temperatures. Criteria for the presence of buoyancy effects in sCO2 flow from literature are shown to be exceeded by an order of magnitude under the conditions modelled, demonstrating that uncertainty remains regarding of the behaviour of sCO2 heat transfer under these conditions.

Design and dynamic modeling of printed circuit heat exchangers for supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycles

Due to the unique geometries and hydraulics of printed circuit heat exchangers and rapidly changing properties of supercritical carbon dioxide, the effective design and rating of printed circuit heat exchangers is an essential requirement for their use in supercritical carbon dioxide power cycles. In this study, one-dimensional design and dynamic models have been developed in Aspen Custom Modeler for printed circuit heat exchangers utilized in printed circuit heat exchangers Brayton power cycles. The design model is used to determine the optimal geometry parameters by minimizing the metal mass. The dynamic model is used to predict transient behavior and can be easily implemented into system-level models developed in Aspen Plus Dynamics for cycle performance evaluations. In these models, the heat transfer coefficient and friction factor are calculated using data reported by Heatric, a prominent printed circuit heat exchanger manufacturer. Both models are validated by comparing with the data from a small-scale exchanger used in the 100 kWe facility operated by the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, and then applied to design and simulate low- and high-temperature recuperators for a 10 MWe supercritical carbon dioxide indirect recompression closed Brayton cycle, which is of interest to the U.S. Department of Energy. The designs and dynamic responses of the printed circuit heat exchangers are compared with conventional shell-and-tube exchangers and microtube shell-and-tube exchangers for the same applications. The simulation results indicate that the proposed printed circuit heat exchangers have fast dynamic responses due to their small metal masses and high heat transfer coefficients compared with the conventional shell-and-tube exchangers. Even though the metal masses of the designed PCHEs are slightly higher than those of the microtube shell-and-tube exchangers, the printed circuit heat exchangers are still promising candidates for heat recuperation because of their mature manufacturing procedures and abundant laboratory and industrial operating experience.

Power cycles integration in concentrated solar power plants with energy storage based on calcium looping

Efficient, low-cost and environmentally friendly storage of thermal energy stands as a main challenge for large scale deployment of solar energy. This work explores the integration into concentrated solar power plants of the calcium looping process based upon the reversible carbonation/calcination of calcium oxide for thermochemical energy storage. An efficient concentrated solar power-calcium looping integration would allow storing energy in the long term by calcination of calcium carbonate thus overcoming the hurdle of variable power generation from solar. After calcination, the stored products of the reaction (calcium oxide and carbon dioxide) are brought together in a carbonator reactor whereby the high temperature exothermic reaction releases the stored energy for efficient power production when needed. This work analyses several power cycle configurations with the main goal of optimizing the performance of the overall system integration. Possible integration schemes are proposed in which power production is carried out directly (using a closed carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle) or indirectly (by means of a steam reheat Rankine cycle or a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle). The results obtained show that the highest plant efficiencies (up to 45–46%) are achievable using a closed carbon dioxide Brayton power cycle.

Solar driven carbon dioxide Brayton cycle power generation with thermal compression

Solar thermal power generation by and large uses Rankine cycles with organic working fluids or steam when highly concentrated solar source is used. Brayton cycle is seldom used because the work of compression forms a major fraction of turbine output. We investigate removal of this lacuna by adopting thermal compression using the adsorption route. Here we propose a two source operated cycle with the low temperature source used for thermal compression and the high temperature source to increase the inlet temperature of the working fluid to the turbine. We adopt carbon dioxide as the working fluid in view of its excellent heat transfer properties and environmentally friendly disposition. Activated carbon is used as the adsorbent in the thermal compression process. It is shown that, though the First law thermal efficiency does not show the real merit of the cycle, the exergetic efficiency is substantially high even for low side operating pressures in the range of 15–25bar. In particular, where the waste heat is available around 100°C and concentrated solar power is available even at 200–300°C, exergetic efficiencies in excess of 25% can be realised. When other advantages such as dispensing with one whole segment of moving parts (compressor) are taken into account, the running costs of such a cycle can be so low that it would be a viable proposition. However, we appreciate that, large scale use of adsorption compression is associated with huge technological problems for which we propose some remedies.

Integration between direct steam generation in linear solar collectors and supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton power cycles

Direct Steam Generation in Parabolic Troughs or Linear Fresnel solar collectors is a technology under development since beginning of nineties (1990's) for replacing thermal oils and molten salts as heat transfer fluids in concentrated solar power plants, avoiding environmental impacts. In parallel to the direct steam generation technology development, supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton power cycles are maturing as an alternative to traditional Rankine cycles for increasing net plant efficiency and reducing balance of plant equipments dimensions and cots. For gaining synergies between these two innovative technologies, in this paper, Direct Steam Generation and Brayton power cycles are integrated in line-focusing solar power plants. Four configurations are studied: Configuration 1 consists on installing a condenser between solar field and power cycle; condensing the heat transfer fluid (steam water) with the balance of plant working fluid (carbon dioxide). The condenser would be a shell & tubes type. Along tubes carbon dioxide flows, and steam water condensates at shell-side. Main advantage of the condenser equipment is the high heat transfer coefficient at water condensing-side, reducing condenser dimension and weight. The main disadvantage of this configuration is the high operating pressure required in solar field for condensing steam into liquid water. This pressure should be between 150 bar and 175 bar for obtaining 400 °C at turbine inlet. In the Configuration 2, the superheated steam delivered by solar collectors transfers the heat energy in a primary heat exchanger to the balance of plant working fluid. In this configuration the steam not condensate into liquid water, and only reduces the temperature from 550 °C–560 °C to 420 °C. The steam pressure drops in solar field along receivers, headers and heat exchangers are compensated by means of steam compressors. This second solution is compatible with higher turbine inlet temperatures, up to 550 °C. The keystones of this second configuration are the steam conditions at compressor inlet, pressure ∼175 bars and temperature ∼420 °C, for minimizing steam compressor electrical consumption. The third design solution (Configuration 3) includes a solar field with direct steam generation in solar collectors with boiling recirculation mode, but the balance of plant is integrated by two Brayton power cycles in cascade. The first power cycle operating at 550 °C turbine inlet, and the second cycle at 410 °C turbine inlet. Main advantage is the integration between a validated direct steam generation technology (recirculation boiling mode) with the Brayton power cycles avoiding steam compressors, a technology not yet commercially available, and main drawback of this design is the increasing number of balance of plant equipments. The Configuration 4 is very similar to the Configuration 2, with the same direct steam generation solar field with superheated steam without condensing, and a single reheating stage solar field with molten salt as heat transfer fluid.The Configuration 1 provides similar efficiency and net power output, for similar solar field effective aperture area, as obtained with molten salt solar collectors with supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle (recompression with main compression intercooling cycle provides 36.6% net efficiency, for a maximum 400 °C turbine inlet). The second design solution (Configuration 2) net efficiency is not very much impacted for steam compressor electrical consumption recompression cycle net efficiency is 43.6% with steam solar field, versus 45.16% with molten salt solar field, in both cases with 550 °C turbine inlet. The Configuration 3 performance is ∼39.7% with two cascade Brayton power cycles with recompression and main compression intercooling. Finally, the Configuration 4 optimum plant performance is obtained for the recompression cycle with a net efficiency ∼45.77%, and is constrained by the molten salt drawbacks (material corrosion, material cost, environmental impact, etc).

The Potential of the LFR and the ELSY Project

This paper presents the current status of the development of the Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) in support of Generation IV (GEN IV) Nuclear Energy Systems. The approach being taken by the GIF plan is to address the research priorities of each member state in developing an integrated and coordinated research program to achieve common objectives, while avoiding duplication of effort. The integrated plan being prepared by the LFR Provisional System Steering Committee of the GIF, known as the LFR System research Plan (SRP) recognizes two principal technology tracks for pursuit of LFR technology: (1) a small, transportable system of 10-100 MWe size that features a very long refueling interval, (2) a larger-sized system rated at about 600 MWe, intended for central station power generation and waste transmutation. This paper, in particular, describes the ongoing activities to develop the Small Secure Transportable Autonomous Reactor (SSTAR) and the European Lead-cooled SYstem (ELSY), the two research initiatives closely aligned with the overall tracks of the SRP and outlines the Proliferation-resistant Environment-friendly Accident-tolerant Continual & Economical Reactors (PEACER) conceived with particular focus on burning/transmuting of long-living TRU waste and fission fragments of concern, such as Tc and I. The current reference design for themore » SSTAR is a 20 MWe natural circulation pool-type reactor concept with a small shippable reactor vessel. Specific features of the lead coolant, the nitride fuel containing transuranics, the fast spectrum core, and the small size combine to promote a unique approach to achieve proliferation resistance, while also enabling fissile self-sufficiency, autonomous load following, simplicity of operation, reliability, transportability, as well as a high degree of passive safety. Conversion of the core thermal power into electricity at a high plant efficiency of 44% is accomplished utilizing a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle power converter. The ELSY reference design is a 600 MWe pool-type reactor cooled by pure lead. This concept has been under development since September 2006, and is sponsored by the Sixth Framework Programme of EURATOM. The ELSY project is being performed by a consortium consisting of twenty organizations including seventeen from Europe, two from Korea and one from the USA. ELSY aims to demonstrate the possibility of designing a competitive and safe fast critical reactor using simple engineered technical features while fully complying with the Generation IV goal of minor actinide (MA) burning capability. The use of a compact and simple primary circuit with the additional objective that all internal components be removable, are among the reactor features intended to assure competitive electric energy generation and long-term investment protection. Simplicity is expected to reduce both the capital cost and the construction time; these are also supported by the compactness of the reactor building (reduced footprint and height). The reduced footprint would be possible due to the elimination of the Intermediate Cooling System, the reduced elevation the result of the design approach of reduced-height components.« less