Micro segment analysis of supercritical methane thermal-hydraulic performance and pseudo-boiling in a PCHE straight channel

The printed circuit heat exchanger(PCHE) is receiving wide attention as a new kind of compact heat exchanger and is considered as a promising vaporizer in the LNG process. In this paper, a PCHE straight channel in the length of 500 mm is established, with a semicircular cross section in a diameter of 1.2 mm.Numerical simulation is employed to investigate the flow and heat transfer performance of supercritical methane in the channel. The pseudo-boiling theory is adopted and the liquid-like, two-phase-like, and vapor-like regimes are divided for supercritical methane to analyze the heat transfer and flow features.The results are presented in micro segment to show the local convective heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. It shows that the convective heat transfer coefficient in segments along the channel has a significant peak feature near the pseudo-critical point and a heat transfer deterioration when the average fluid temperature in the segment is higher than the pseudo-critical point. The reason is explained with the generation of vapor-like film near the channel wall that the peak feature related to a nucleateboiling-like state and heat transfer deterioration related to a film-boiling-like state. The effects of parameters, including mass flow rate, pressure, and wall heat flux on flow and heat transfer were analyzed.In calculating of the averaged heat transfer coefficient of the whole channel, the traditional method shows significant deviation and the micro segment weighted average method is adopted. The pressure drop can mainly be affected by the mass flux and pressure and little affected by the wall heat flux. The peak of the convective heat transfer coefficient can only form at high mass flux, low wall heat flux, and near critical pressure, in which condition the nucleate-boiling-like state is easier to appear. Moreover,heat transfer deterioration will always appear, since the supercritical flow will finally develop into a filmboiling-like state. So heat transfer deterioration should be taken seriously in the design and safe operation of vaporizer PCHE. The study of this work clarified the local heat transfer and flow feature of supercritical methane in microchannel and contributed to the deep understanding of supercritical methane flow of the vaporization process in PCHE.

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.

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.

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.

Experimental investigation on pyrolysis products and pore structure characteristics of organic-rich shale heated by supercritical carbon dioxide

The efficient pyrolysis and conversion of organic matter in organic-rich shale,as well as the effective recovery of pyrolysis shale oil and gas,play a vital role in alleviating energy pressure.The state of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))in the pyrolysis environment of shale reservoirs is the supercritical state.Its unique supercritical fluid properties not only effectively heat organic matter,displace pyrolysis products and change shale pore structure,but also achieve carbon storage to a certain extent.Shale samples were made into powder and three sizes of cores,and nitrogen(N_(2))and supercritical carbon dioxide(ScCO_(2))pyrolysis experiments were performed at different final pyrolysis temperatures.The properties and mineral characteristics of the pyrolysis products were studied based on gas chromatography analysis,Xray diffraction tests,and mass spectrometry analysis.Besides,the pore structure characteristics at different regions of cores before and after pyrolysis were analyzed using N_(2) adsorption tests to clarify the impact of fracturing degree on the pyrolysis effect.The results indicate that the optimal pyrolysis temperature of Longkou shale is about 430℃.Compared with N_(2),the oil yield of ScCO_(2) pyrolysis is higher.The pyrolysis oil obtained by ScCO_(2) extraction has more intermediate fractions and higher relative molecular weight.The ScCO_(2) can effectively improve the pore diameter of shale and its effect is better than that of N_(2).The micropores are produced in shale after pyrolysis,and the macropores only are generated in ScCO_(2) pyrolysis environments with temperatures greater than 430℃.The pore structure has different development characteristics at different pyrolysis temperatures,which are mainly affected by the pressure holding of volatile matter and products blocking.Compared to the surface of the core,the pore development effect inside the core is better.With the decrease in core size,the pore diameter,specific surface area,and pore volume of cores all increase after pyrolysis.

Control system design for a pressure-tube-type supercritical water-cooled nuclear reactor via a higher order sliding mode method

Nuclear power plants exhibit non-linear and time-variable dynamics.Therefore,designing a control system that sets the reactor power and forces it to follow the desired load is complicated.A supercritical water reactor(SCWR)is a fourth-generation conceptual reactor.In an SCWR,the non-linear dynamics of the reactor require a controller capable of control-ling the nonlinearities.In this study,a pressure-tube-type SCWR was controlled during reactor power maneuvering with a higher order sliding mode,and the reactor outgoing steam temperature and pressure were controlled simultaneously.In an SCWR,the temperature,pressure,and power must be maintained at a setpoint(desired value)during power maneuvering.Reactor point kinetics equations with three groups of delayed neutrons were used in the simulation.Higher-order and classic sliding mode controllers were separately manufactured to control the plant and were compared with the PI controllers speci-fied in previous studies.The controlled parameters were reactor power,steam temperature,and pressure.Notably,for these parameters,the PI controller had certain instabilities in the presence of disturbances.The classic sliding mode controller had a higher accuracy and stability;however its main drawback was the chattering phenomenon.HOSMC was highly accurate and stable and had a small computational cost.In reality,it followed the desired values without oscillations and chattering.

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.

Solubility of iron(Ⅲ) and nickel(Ⅱ) acetylacetonates in supercritical carbon dioxide

As a common precursor for supercritical CO_(2)(scCO_(2))deposition techniques,solubility data of organometallic complexes in scCO_(2)is crucial for the preparation of nanocomposites.Recently,metal acetylacetonates have shown great potential for the preparation of single-atom catalytic materials.In this study,the solubilities of iron(Ⅲ)acetylacetonate(Fe(acac)3)and nickel(Ⅱ)acetylacetonate(Ni(acac)2)were measured at the temperature from 313.15 to 333.15 K and in the pressure range of 9.5–25.2 MPa to accumulate new solubility data.Solubility was measured using a static weight loss method.The semi-empirical models proposed by Chrastil and Sung et al.were used to correlate the solubility data of Fe(acac)3 and Ni(acac)2.The equations obtained can be used to predict the solubility of the same system in the experimental range.

Numerical Predictions of Laminar Forced Convection Heat Transfer with and without Buoyancy Effects from an Isothermal Horizontal Flat Plate to Supercritical Nitrogen

Numerical predictions are made for Laminar Forced convection heat transfer with and without buoyancy effects for Supercritical Nitrogen flowing over an isothermal horizontal flat plate with a heated surface facing downwards.Computations are performed by varying the value ofΔT from5 to 30 K and P_(∞)/P_(cr)ratio from1.1 to 1.5.Variation of all the thermophysical properties of supercritical Nitrogen is considered.The wall temperatures are chosen in such a way that two values of Tw are less than T∗(T*is the temperature at which the fluid has a maximum value of Cp for the given pressure),one value equal to T∗and two values greater than T∗.Three different values of U∞are used to obtain Re∞range of 3.6×10_(4)to 4.74×10^(5)for forced convection without buoyancy effects and Gr_(∞)/Re^(2)_(∞)range of 0.011 to 3.107 for the case where buoyancy effects are predominant.Six different forms of correlations are proposed based on numerical predictions and are compared with actual numerical predictions.It has been found that in all six forms of correlations,the maximum deviations are found to occur in those cases where the pseudocritical temperature TT∗lies between the wall temperature and bulk fluid temperature.

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 Fluid Extraction of Essential Oil from Dry Rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort and Their Characterization by GC/MS

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of essential oil from dry rhizome ofLigusticum chuanxiong Hort was developed. GC/MS was used for the determination of the composition ofessential oil. Forty-four compounds were identified. The conventional extraction method wasconducted in parallel for comparison. The extracts were qualitatively compared by GC/MS. The yieldsof SFE and steam distillation-extraction were 4.16 % ( v/w) and 0.8 % ( v/w), respectively.Application of SFE of zessential oil from dry rhizome of Ligustiaan chuanxiong Hort was preferable.

Extraction of betulin from bark of Betula platyphylla by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

Betulin, which is a medicinal pentacyclic triterpene, is abundant in the bark of white birch (Betula platyphlly). The bark of birch was collected at Tayuan Forest Farm of Jiagedaqi, Heilongjiang Province in September 2000. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) that is a new separation technology has been used for the processing pharmaceutical and natural products. In this paper, the extraction of betulin from the bark of birch by supercritical CO2 extraction was studied. The authors investigated and analyzed a few parameters such as modifier dosage, extraction pressure and extraction temperature. The optimal extrac-tion conditions showed that the modifier dosage used for per gram bark powder was 1.5 mL, the extraction pressure was at 20 Mpa, and the extraction temperature was at 55 C. The velocity of flow of liquid CO2 was at 10 kg/h. The pressure and tem-perature in separation vessel were at 5.5 Mpa and 50 C, respectively.

Optimization of Supercritical Carbon dioxide Extraction of Ginger Essential Oil by Response Surface Method

[Objective] Ginger essential oil （GEO） is widely used in food production and medical field in recent years due to its prominent biological functions, and this study was conducted to obtain high-quality and high-purity ginger essential oil from the fresh ginger. [Method] GEO was extracted from ginger roots by supercritical fluid extraction （SFE） method. The effects of flow rate of CO2, mesh size of ginger powder and volume of entrainer were investigated by single-factor experiments and response surface method. The content and extraction rate of 6-gingerol represented the extraction index of GEO. [Result] The conditions were optimized as follows： flow rate of CO2 at 25 L/h, mesh size of ginger power of 80 mesh, and volume of anhydrous ethanol as entrainer of 92.46 ml. The optimal extraction rate of 6-gingerol was 3.21%, which was predicted by RSM. [Conclusion] The optimal process of supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of ginger essential oil was identified by singlefactor experiments and response surface method. The present study provides a satisfactory method for purifying GEO from ginger for industrial purpose.

TRANSONIC DRAG REDUCTION ON SUPERCRITICAL WING SECTION USING SHOCK CONTROL BUMPS

Two-dimensional and three-dimensional shock control contour bumps are designed for a supercritical wing section with the aim of transonic wave drag reduction. The supercritical airfoil （NASA SC （02）-0714） is selected considering the fact that most modern jet transport aircrafts that operate in the transonic flow regime （cruise at transonic speeds） employ supercritical airfoil sections. Here it is to be noted that a decrease in the transonic wave drag without loss in lift would result in an increased lift to drag ratio, which is a key range parameter that can potentially increase both the range and endurance of the aircraft. The major geometric bump parameters such as length, height and span are altered for both the two-dimensional and three-dimensional bumps in order to obtain the optimum location and shape of the bump. Once an optimum standalone three-dimensional bump is acquired, an array of bumps is manually placed spanwise of an unswept supercritical wing and analyzed under fully turbulent flow conditions. Different configurations are tested with varying three-dimensional bump spacing in order to determine the contribution of bump spacing on overall performance. The results show a 14% drag reduction and a consequent 16% lift to drag ratio rise at the design Mach number for the optimum arrangement of bumps along the wing span.

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.

A Comparative Study on Chemical Composition of Supercritical CO_2 Extraction Products in Peels of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. from Changqing District

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the differences in chemical composition of supercritical CO2 extraction products in peels of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. from Changqing district. [Method] Supercritical fluidextraction （SFE） and GCMS method were applied to determine and analyze the chemical components of the extracts in peels of three strains of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. [Result] The chemical components of supercritical CO2 extraction products in peels of three strains of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. varied., and the number of chemical components with normalized percentage content higher than 1% was 5, 7 and 8, respectively. There are 14 kinds of common components, and the relative content of hexadecanoic acid was the highest. [Conclusion] Supercritical CO2 extracts in peels of different strains of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. contain different chemical components, providing scientific basis for breeding excellent varieties and the development and utilization of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim.

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.

Extraction of Perilla Seed Oil Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide and GC-MS Analysis

[Objective] This study was aimed to determine the optimal parameters for the extraction of perilla seed oil to obtain high-quality perilla seed oil and analyze its compositions. [Method] In this study, perilla seed oil was extracted using supercritical CO2 （SC-CO2）. The effects of extraction time, temperature and pressure were investigated by single-factor experiments and orthogonal array testing （ORT）. The chemical compositions of extracted perilla seed oil were investigated by GC-MS. [Result] The optimal conditions for the extraction of perilla seed oil using SC-CO2 were extraction time of 4 h, extraction temperature at 40 ℃, and extraction pressure at 23 MPa. Under these conditions, the extraction yield of perilla seed oil was maximized to 12.43%. GC-MS analysis revealed that perilla seed oil was a complex mixture containing 76.183% α-linolenic acid. [Conclusion] Supercritical CO2 extraction was proven to be an effective technology to extract oil from perilla seed, and GCMS was also a satisfactory method for analyzing the compositions of perilla seed oil.

The enhanced element enrichment in the supercritical states of granite–pegmatite systems

In this paper, we show that supercritical fluids have a greater significance in the generation of pegmatites,and for ore-forming processes related to granites than is usually assumed. We show that the supercritical melt or fluid is a silicate phase in which volatiles; principally H_2O are completely miscible in all proportions at magmatic temperatures and pressures. This phase evolves from felsic melts and changes into hydrothermal fluids, and its unique properties are particularly important in sequestering and concentrating low abundance elements, such as metals. In our past research, we have focused on processes observed at upper crustal levels, however extensive work by us and other researchers have demonstrated that supercritical melt/fluids should be abundant in melting zones at deep-crustal levels too. We propose that these fluids may provide a connecting link between lower and upper crustal magmas,and a highly efficient transport mechanism for usually melt incompatible elements. In this paper, we explore the unique features of this fluid which allow the partitioning of variouselements and compounds, potentially up to extreme levels,and may explain various features both of mineralization and the magmas that produced them.

Mini-Review:Green sustainable processes using supercritical fluid carbon dioxide

Environmentally benign carbon dioxide offers significant potential in its supercritical fluid phase to replace current reliance on a range of hazardous, relatively expensive and environmentally damaging organic solvents that are used on an extensive global basis. The unique combination of the physical properties of supercritical fluids are being exploited and further researched to continue the development and establishment of high efficiency, compact plant to provide energy and water efficient manufacturing processes. This mini-review is focused on the use and potential applications of supercritical fluid carbon dioxide for a selected range of key and emerging industrial processes as a sustainable alternative to totally eliminate or greatly reduce the requirement of numerous conventional organic solvents. Examples of the industries include： chemical extraction and purification, synthetic chemical reactions including polymerization and inorganic catalytic processes. Biochemical reactions involving enzymes, particle size engineering, textile dyeing and advanced material manufacture provide further illustrations of vital industrial activities where supercritical fluid technology processes are being implemented or developed. Some aspects relating to the economics of sustainable supercritical fluid carbon dioxide processes are also considered.