Multi-objective optimization and evaluation of supercritical CO_(2) Brayton cycle for nuclear power generation

The supercritical CO_(2) Brayton cycle is considered a promising energy conversion system for Generation IV reactors for its simple layout,compact structure,and high cycle efficiency.Mathematical models of four Brayton cycle layouts are developed in this study for different reactors to reduce the cost and increase the thermohydraulic performance of nuclear power generation to promote the commercialization of nuclear energy.Parametric analysis,multi-objective optimizations,and four decision-making methods are applied to obtain each Brayton scheme’s optimal thermohydraulic and economic indexes.Results show that for the same design thermal power scale of reactors,the higher the core’s exit temperature,the better the Brayton cycle’s thermo-economic performance.Among the four-cycle layouts,the recompression cycle(RC)has the best overall performance,followed by the simple recuperation cycle(SR)and the intercooling cycle(IC),and the worst is the reheating cycle(RH).However,RH has the lowest total cost of investment(C_(tot))of$1619.85 million,and IC has the lowest levelized cost of energy(LCOE)of 0.012$/(kWh).The nuclear Brayton cycle system’s overall performance has been improved due to optimization.The performance of the molten salt reactor combined with the intercooling cycle(MSR-IC)scheme has the greatest improvement,with the net output power(W_(net)),thermal efficiencyη_(t),and exergy efficiency(η_(e))improved by 8.58%,8.58%,and 11.21%,respectively.The performance of the lead-cooled fast reactor combined with the simple recuperation cycle scheme was optimized to increase C_(tot) by 27.78%.In comparison,the internal rate of return(IRR)increased by only 7.8%,which is not friendly to investors with limited funds.For the nuclear Brayton cycle,the molten salt reactor combined with the recompression cycle scheme should receive priority,and the gas-cooled fast reactor combined with the reheating cycle scheme should be considered carefully.

Flow and Heat Transfer Features of Supercritical Pressure CO_(2) in Horizontal Flows under Whole-Wall Heating Conditions

Based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics,the heat transfer and flow(thermohydraulic)characteristics of horizontal supercritical pressure CO_(2)(S-CO_(2))in a circular pipe under heating conditions were investigated numerically.Heating flows in two different diameters(d)of 4 and 6 mm were simulated in pipes with pressures of 8 MPa,mass fluxes(G)of 300 and 400 kg/(m^(2)·s),and heat fluxes(q)of 50,75 and 100 kW/m^(2).In the d=4 mm pipe,the peak heat transfer coefficient(hb)was about 3 times higher than in the d=6 mm pipe,while the entropy production due to fluid friction in the 4 mm pipe was on average 1.1 times higher,and the entropy production due to heat transfer was on average about 67%lower.A 4 mm tube was employed to further evaluate the influence of the applied wall heat flux,the results demonstrated that the irreversibility due to heat transfer was on average more than 4 times higher when heat flux density was 100 kW/m^(2)than when the heat flux density was 50 kW/m^(2),while the peak of heat transfer coefficient increased by 1.4 times as q was decreased from 100 to 50 kW/m^(2).The effect of thermal acceleration was ignored,while the buoyancy effect resulted in secondary flow and significantly affected the flow and heat transfer features.The jet flows were found in the vicinity of the lower wall of the pipe,which made the two fields of velocity and temperature gradient more synergistic,leading to an enhancement in heat transfer in the vicinity of the upper wall.The aggravation of heat transfer resulted in high irreversibility of heat transfer in the cross-sectional area near the wall,while the local friction irreversibility was less affected by the buoyancy effect,and the distribution was uniform.The uneven distribution of thermophysical properties also confirmed that the enhanced heat transfer occurred near the wall area at the bottom of the pipe.

Effect of Allelochemicals of Chinese-fir root extracted by supercritical CO_2 extraction on Chinese fir

Allelochemicals of Chinese-fir root was extracted by technology ofsupercritical CO_2 extraction under orthogonal experiment design, and it was used to analyzeallelopathic activity of Chinese-fir through bioassay of seed germination. The results showed thatas to the available rate of allelochemicals, the pressure and temperature of extraction were themost important factors. The allelochemicals of Chinese-fir root extracted by pure CO_2 and ethanolmixed with CO_2 have different allelopathic activities to seed germination, and the allelochemicalsextracted by ethanol mixed with CO_2 had stronger inhibitory effects on seed germination than thatextracted by pure CO_2.

Supercritical-hydrothermal accelerated solid state reaction route for synthesis of LiMn_2O_4 cathode material for high-power Li-ion batteries

Synthesis of the spinel structure lithium manganese oxide （LiMn2O4） by supercritical hydrothermal （SH） accelerated solid state reaction （SSR） route was studied. The impacts of the reaction pressure, reaction temperature and reaction time of SH route, and the calcination temperature of SSR route on the purity, particle morphology and electrochemical properties of the prepared LiMn2O4 materials were studied. The experimental results show that after 15 min reaction in SH route at 400 ℃ and 30 MPa, the reaction time of SSR could be significantly decreased, e.g. down to 3 h with the formation temperature of 800 ℃, compared with the conventional solid state reaction method. The prepared LiMn2O4 material exhibits good crystallinity, uniform size distribution and good electrochemical performance, and has an initial specific capacity of 120 mA.h/g at a rate of 0.1C （1C=148 mA/g） and a good rate capability at high rates, even up to 50C.

Demonstration of a small‐scale power generator using supercritical CO_(2)

The supercritical CO_(2)(sCO_(2))power cycle could improve efficiencies for a wide range of thermal power plants.The sCO_(2)turbine generator plays an important role in the sCO_(2)power cycle by directly converting thermal energy into mechanical work and electric power.The operation of the generator encounters challenges,including high temperature,high pressure,high rotational speed,and other engineering problems,such as leakage.Experimental studies of sCO_(2)turbines are insufficient because of the significant difficulties in turbine manufacturing and system construction.Unlike most experimental investigations that primarily focus on 100 kW‐or MW‐scale power generation systems,we consider,for the first time,a small‐scale power generator using sCO_(2).A partial admission axial turbine was designed and manufactured with a rated rotational speed of 40,000 rpm,and a CO_(2)transcritical power cycle test loop was constructed to validate the performance of our manufactured generator.A resistant gas was proposed in the constructed turbine expander to solve the leakage issue.Both dynamic and steady performances were investigated.The results indicated that a peak electric power of 11.55 kW was achieved at 29,369 rpm.The maximum total efficiency of the turbo‐generator was 58.98%,which was affected by both the turbine rotational speed and pressure ratio,according to the proposed performance map.

Effect of Allelochemicals of Chinese-fir root extracted by supercritical CO2 extraction on Chinese fir

Allelochemicals of Chinese-fir root was extracted by technology of supercritical CO2 extraction under orthogonal experiment design, and it was used to analyze allelopathic activity of Chinese-fir through bioassay of seed germination. The results showed that as to the available rate of allelochemicals, the pressure and temperature of extraction were the most important factors. The allelochemicals of Chinese-fir root extracted by pure CO2 and ethanol mixed with CO2 have different allelopathic activities to seed germination, and the allelochemicals extracted by ethanol mixed with CO2 had stronger inhibitory effects on seed germination than that extracted by pure CO2.

Proppant transport in rough fracture networks using supercritical CO_(2)

Proppant transport within fractures is one of the most critical tasks in oil,gas and geothermal reservoir stimulation,as it largely determines the ultimate performance of the operating well.Proppant transport in rough fracture networks is still a relatively new area of research and the associated transport mechanisms are still unclear.In this study,representative parameters of rough fracture surfaces formed by supercritical CO_(2) fracturing were used to generate a rough fracture network model based on a spectral synthesis method.Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)coupled with the discrete element method(DEM)was used to study proppant transport in this rough fracture network.To reveal the turning transport mechanism of proppants into branching fractures at the intersections of rough fracture networks,a comparison was made with the behavior within smooth fracture networks,and the effect of key pumping parameters on the proppant placement in a secondary fracture was analyzed.The results show that the transport behavior of proppant in rough fracture networks is very different from that of the one in the smooth fracture networks.The turning transport mechanisms of proppant into secondary fractures in rough fracture networks are gravity-driven sliding,high velocity fluid suspension,and fracture structure induction.Under the same injection conditions,supercritical CO_(2)with high flow Reynolds number still has a weaker ability to transport proppant into secondary fractures than water.Thickening of the supercritical CO_(2)needs to be increased beyond a certain value to have a significant effect on proppant carrying,and under the temperature and pressure conditions of this paper,it needs to be increased more than 20 times(about 0.94 m Pa s).Increasing the injection velocity and decreasing the proppant concentration facilitates the entry of proppant into the branching fractures,which in turn results in a larger stimulated reservoir volume.The results help to understand the proppant transport and placement process in rough fracture networks formed by reservoir stimulation,and provide a theoretical reference for the optimization of proppant pumping parameters in hydraulic fracturing.

Simulation Modelling and Techno-Economics of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Recompression Closed Brayton Cycle

In recent years, there has been global interest in meeting targets relating to energy affordability and security while taking into account greenhouse gas emissions. This has heightened major interest in potential investigations into the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles. Climate change mitigation is the ultimate driver for this increased interest;other relevant issues include the potential for high cycle efficiency and a circular economy. In this study, a 25 MWe recompression closed Brayton cycle (RCBC) has been assessed, and sCO2 has been proposed as the working fluid for the power plant. The methodology used in this research work comprises thermodynamic and techno-economic analysis for the prospective commercialization of this sCO2 power cycle. An evaluated estimation of capital expenditure, operational expenditure, and cost of electricity has been considered in this study. The ASPEN Plus simulation results have been compared with theoretical and mathematical calculations to assess the performance of the compressors, turbine, and heat exchangers. The results thus reveal that the cycle efficiency for this prospective sCO2 recompression closed Brayton cycle increases (39% - 53.6%) as the temperature progressively increases from 550˚C to 900˚C. Data from the Aspen simulation model was used to aid the cost function calculations to estimate the total capital investment cost of the plant. Also, the techno-economic results have shown less cost for purchasing equipment due to fewer components being required for the cycle configuration as compared to the conventional steam power plant.

Preparation of TiO_2-MoO_3 nano-composite photo-catalyst by supercritical fluid dry method

A series of TiO 2-MoO 3 nano-composite photocatalysts were prepared by supercritical fluid dry method(SCFD) and an impregnation technique with TiCl 4 and (NH 4) 6Mo 7O 24 ·4H 2O as the starting materials. The catalysts were characterized by the means of XRD, TEM and UV-Vis. Methyl orange was used as model compound for the evaluation of their catalytic activities. The results indicated that the photo-catalyst prepared by SCFD had the advantages of small size(12.84 nm), narrow distribution and good dispersivity. The presence of small amount of Mo in composite catalyst gives rise to the red shift of its absorbance wavelength, decrease of its energy gap and increase of the utility of visible light. Furthermore, higher surface acidity of the photo-catalyst was obtained as the result of the addition of MoO 3. Compared with pure TiO 2, the catalytic activity of the TiO 2-MoO 3 nano-composite photo-catalyst was improved significantly. As the doping concentration of the composite catalysts was controlled at 0.6%(molar percentage), 100% degradation of methyl orange was achieved with in 1.2 h irradiation time.

Supercritical water syntheses of transition metal-doped CeO_2 nano-catalysts for selective catalytic reduction of NO by CO:An in situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study

In the present study,we synthesized CeO2 catalysts doped with various transition metals(M=Co,Fe,or Cu)using a supercritical water hydrothermal route,which led to the incorporation of the metal ions in the CeO2 lattice,forming solid solutions.The catalysts were then used for the selective catalytic reduction(SCR)of NO by CO.The Cu‐doped catalyst exhibited the highest SCR activity;it had a T50(i.e.,50%NO conversion)of only 83°C and a T90(i.e.,90%NO conversion)of 126°C.Such an activity was also higher than in many state‐of‐the‐art catalysts.In situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that the MOx‐CeO2 catalysts(M=Co and Fe)mainly followed an Eley‐Rideal reaction mechanism for CO‐SCR.In contrast,a Langmuir‐Hinshelwood SCR reaction mechanism occurred in CuO‐CeO2 owing to the presence of Cu+species,which ensured effective adsorption of CO.This explains why CuO‐CeO2 exhibited the highest activity with regard to the SCR of NO by CO.

Characteristics and mechanisms of supercritical CO_(2) flooding under different factors in low-permeability reservoirs

In recent years,supercritical CO_(2)flooding has become an effective method for developing lowpermeability reservoirs.In supercritical CO_(2)flooding different factors influence the mechanism of its displacement process for oil recovery.Asynchronous injection-production modes can use supercritical CO_(2)to enhance oil recovery but may also worsen the injection capacity.Cores with high permeability have higher oil recovery rates and better injection capacity,however,gas channeling occurs.Supercritical CO_(2)flooding has a higher oil recovery at high pressure levels,which delays the occurrence of gas channeling.Conversely,gas injection has lower displacement efficiency but better injection capacity at the high water cut stage.This study analyzes the displacement characteristics of supercritical CO_(2)flooding with a series of experiments under different injection and production parameters.Experimental results show that the gas breakthrough stage has the fastest oil production and the supercritical CO_(2)injection capacity variation tendency is closely related to the gas-oil ratio.Further experiments show that higher injection rates represent significant ultimate oil recovery and injection index,providing a good reference for developing low-permeability reservoirs.

Kinetics of Reactive Extraction of Nd from Nd2O3 with TBP-HNO3 Complex in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The process based on supercritical fluid extraction for reprocessing of the spent nuclear fuel has some remarkable advantages over the plutonium-uranium extraction(PUREX) process.Especially,it can minimize the generation of secondary waste.Dynamic reactive extraction of neodymium oxide(Nd2O3) in supercritical carbon dioxide(SC-CO2) containing tri-n-butyl phosphate-nitric acid(TBP-HNO3) complex was investigated.Temperature showed a positive effect on the extraction efficiency,while pressure showed a negative effect when the unsaturated TBP-HNO3 complex was employed for the dynamic reactive extraction of Nd2O3 in SC-CO2.Both temperature and pressure effects indicated that the kinetic process of the reactive extraction was controlled by the chemical reaction.A kinetic model was proposed to describe the extraction process.

MICROPOROUS PVDF-HFP-BASED POLYMER MEMBRANES FORMED FROM SUPERCRITICAL CO_2 INDUCED PHASE SEPARATION

Microporous poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene)(PVDF-HFP)membranes following supercritical CO_2 induced phase separation process were prepared using four solvents.The solid electrolytes of PVDF-HFP were formed by microporous PVDF-HFP membranes filled and swollen by a liquid electrolyte.The effect of the solvents on the morphology and structure,electrolyte absorptions and lithium ionic conductivity of the activated membranes were investigated.It was approved that all the membrane had the similar...

Hydrogen production by glycerol reforming in supercritical water over Ni/MgO-ZrO_2 catalyst

Nano ZrO2 and MgO-ZrO2 were prepared by a self-assembly route and were employed as the support for Ni catalysts used in hydrogen production from glycerol reforming in supercritical water （SCW）. The reforming experiments were conducted in a tubular fixed-bed flow reactor over a temperature range of 600-800 ℃. The influences of process variables such as temperature, contact time, and water to glycerol ratio on hydrogen yield were investigated and the catalysts were charactered by ICP, BET, XRD and SEM. The results showed that high hydrogen yield was obtained from glycerol by reforming in supercritical water over the Ni/MgO-ZrO2 catalysts in a short contact time. The MgO in the catalyst showed significant promotion effect for hydrogen production likely due to the formation of the alkaline active site. Even when the glycerol feed concentration was up to 45 wt%, glycerol was completely gasified and transfered to the gas products containing hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and methane along with small amounts of carbon monoxide. At a diluted feed concentration of 5 wt%, near theoretical yield of 7 mole of H2/mol of glycerol could be obtained.

Effect of Co-solvent and Pressure on the Thermal Decomposition of 2,2′Azobis-(isobutyronitrile) in Supercritical CO_2

The thermal decomposition of 2, 2'-azobis (isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in supercritical CO2 with cosolvent methanol or cyclohexane has been studied by using UV/Vis spectroscopic method at 335.15 K and at 12.0 MPa and 14.0 MPa. Both of the cosolvents can accelerate the decomposition rate, and the effect of methanol is more significant than that of the cyclohexane.

High-pressure Phase Equilibria for Binary Ethanol System Containing Supercritical CO_2

High-pressure phase behavior of supercritical (SC) CO2+ethanol system was investigated at 333.2 K,348.2K, 353.2K, 368.2K, 413.2K and 453.2K and pressure from 2.0MPa to 14.3MPa. The measurement was carried out in a cylindrical autoclave with a moveable piston and a window for adjustment and observation of phase equilibria at given T and p. The samples were taken from two coexisting phases and were analyzed to obtain their compositions. It is shown that the solubility of SC CO2 in ethanol increases drastically with pressures at the given temperature, but the content of ethanol in CO2-rich phase increase faintly.

Surface characteristics analysis of fractures induced by supercritical CO_(2)and water through three-dimensional scanning and scanning electron micrography

Morphology of hydraulic fracture surface has significant effects on oil and gas flow,proppant migration and fracture closure,which plays an important role in oil and gas fracturing stimulation.In this paper,we analyzed the fracture surface characteristics induced by supercritical carbon dioxide(SC-CO_(2))and water in open-hole and perforation completion conditions under triaxial stresses.A simple calculation method was proposed to quantitatively analyze the fracture surface area and roughness in macro-level based on three-dimensional(3D)scanning data.In micro-level,scanning electron micrograph(SEM)was used to analyze the features of fracture surface.The results showed that the surface area of the induced fracture increases with perforation angle for both SC-CO_(2)and water fracturing,and the surface area of SC-CO_(2)-induced fracture is 6.49%e58.57%larger than that of water-induced fracture.The fractal dimension and surface roughness of water-induced fractures increase with the increase in perforation angle,while those of SC-CO_(2)-induced fractures decrease with the increasing perforation angle.A considerable number of microcracks and particle peeling pits can be observed on SC-CO_(2)-induced fracture surface while there are more flat particle surfaces in water-induced fracture surface through SEM images,indicating that fractures tend to propagate along the boundary of the particle for SC-CO_(2)fracturing while water-induced fractures prefer to cut through particles.These findings are of great significance for analyzing fracture mechanism and evaluating fracturing stimulation performance.

Preparation of (Ti, Sn)O_2 Nano-Composite Photocatalyst by Supercritical Fluid Dry Combination Technology

A series of TiO2-SnO2 nano-sized composite photo-catalysts containing Sn (9.3%-30.1%) were prepared from TiCI4 and SnCl4·5H2O by using sol-gel, supercritical fluid dry and solid-phase reaction (SCFD) combination technology. Characterizations with X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that, in addition to anatase type TiO2, a new active phase (Ti, Sn)O2 (with particle size of 2.0-4.3 nm) formed, and there were no SnO2 crystals observed in the range of the doping concentration studied. Photo-catalytic reaction of phenol was used as a model reaction to evaluate the catalytic activities of the obtained catalysts. Compared with pure TiO2 or Ti-Sn catalyst prepared with general sol-gel method, Ti-Sn nano-composite photo-catalyst thus obtained showed significant improvement in catalytic activity. The photo-catalytic degradation rate of phenol could reach as high as 93.5% after 7 h. The preparation conditions of the new phase (Ti, Sn)O2 were investigated and its catalytic mechanism was proposed. The photo-catalytic particles prepared using SCFD combination technology exhibited small particle size, large surface area and high activity.

New CO_2-philic Compounds: Design, Synthesis and Solubility in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

A series of gluscose derivatives were designed, synthesized, and their structures were confirmed by IR, NMR and elementary analysis. All new compounds are highly soluble in liquid or supercritical carbon dioxide. The compound with electron-withdrawing substituent on benzene ring had even better solubility than the compounds with electron-donating substituent.

Oxidation of n-Butanol and 2-Pentanol with Molecular Oxygen in Supercritical CO2

Oxidation of n-butanol and 2-pentanol using molecular oxygen in supercritical (SC) CO2 with and without co-solvent is investigated. The results showed that the reaction selectivity is high when the reaction is carried out in SC CO2. It has been observed that co-solvent affects conversion and selectivity of the reaction considerably.