摘要
Supercritical carbon dioxide(sCO_(2))power cycle is an innovative concept for converting thermal energy to electrical energy.It uses sCO_(2)as the working fluid medium in a closed or semi-closed Brayton thermodynamic cycle.The sCO_(2)power cycles have several benefits such as high cycle efficiency,small equipment size and plant footprint(and therefore lower capital cost)and the potential for full carbon capture.Achieving the full benefits of the sCO_(2)cycle depends on overcoming a number of engineering and materials science challenges that impact both the technical feasibility of the cycle and its economic viability.For example,the design and construction methods of turbomachinery,recuperator and high-pressure oxy-combustor pose significant technical challenges.Other R&D needs include material selection and testing,and optimized power cycle configuration.Over the years,particularly in the last decade,R&D efforts have been growing worldwide to develop sCO_(2)cycle technologies for power generation.Significant progress has been made in developing sCO_(2)cycle power systems.Some small,low-temperature sCO_(2)Brayton cycle power systems are starting to emerge in the commercial market,and a natural gas-fired demonstration power plant using a sCO_(2)cycle called the Allam Cycle is under construction.This article describes the sCO_(2)cycles for applications in power generation from fossil fuels and reviews the recent developments in sCO_(2)power cycle technologies.
