Comparison of Compressor Performance Map Predictions to Test Data for a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Power System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Clementoni
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Critical Point ◽  
Power Cycles ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Performance Map ◽  
Compressor Inlet ◽  
Compressor Performance ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

Abstract Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton power cycles are typically designed to operate with compressor inlet conditions near the critical point to take advantage of the high density of the fluid at these conditions. While designing the cycle to operate here improves cycle efficiency, it also creates challenges for designing the compressor and predicting off-design compressor performance due to real gas fluid properties near the critical point. Multiple compressor performance map evaluation methodologies which incorporate real gas corrections have been proposed in literature with only limited evaluation of the accuracy of these methods compared to operational data from compressors designed for sCO2 power cycles. This paper evaluates compressor performance from the 100 kWe Integrated System Test (IST), which was operated at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, over a range of compressor inlet conditions and rotational speeds relative to one real gas performance map correction methodology and assesses the impact of additional terms proposed in literature for improving the accuracy of off-design performance predictions.

Effect of Compressor Inlet Condition on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Compressor Performance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haoxiang Chen ◽  
Weilin Zhuge ◽  
Yangjun Zhang ◽  
Hongdan Liu
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Critical Point ◽  
Inlet Pressure ◽  
Inlet Temperature ◽  
Inlet Condition ◽  
Compressor Inlet ◽  
Compressor Performance ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
Compressor Power

Abstract Supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) Brayton power cycle has attracted a lot of attention around the world in energy conversion field. It takes advantage of the high density of CO2 near the critical point while maintaining low viscosity to reduce compressor power and achieve high cycle efficiency. However, as CO2 approaches to its critical point, the thermodynamic properties of CO2 vary dramatically with small changes in temperature or pressure. As a result, the density of the working fluid varies significantly at the compressor inlet in the practical cycle if operating near the critical point, especially for small-scale cycles and air-cooled cycles, which leads to compressors operating out of the flow range, even being damaged. Concerns of large density variations at the inlet of the compressor result in S-CO2 compressor designers selecting compressor inlet conditions away from the critical point, thereby increasing compressor power. In this paper, a criterion to choose inlet pressure and inlet temperature of compressors as the design inlet condition is proposed, which is guaranteeing ±50% change in inlet specific volume within ±3 °C variation in inlet temperature. By the criterion, 8 MPa and 34.7 °C is selected as the design inlet condition. According to design requirements of the cycle, a S-CO2 centrifugal compressor is designed through 1-D design methodology. Based on the two-zone model, the effects of compressor inlet condition including inlet pressure and inlet temperature on the compressor performance are analyzed in detail. In practical operation, the compressor inlet condition is varied. Thus, an accurate prediction of compressor performance under different inlet conditions is necessary. The traditional correction method is not suitable for S-CO2 compressor. Dimensionless specific enthalpy rise is used to correct pressure ratio by the real gas table. And the S-CO2 compressor performance can be predicted correctly under different inlet conditions.

scholarly journals Characterization of Non-Equilibrium Condensation of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide in a de Laval Nozzle

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Lettieri ◽  
Derek Paxson ◽  
Zoltan Spakovszky ◽  
Peter Bryanston-Cross
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Critical Point ◽  
Laval Nozzle ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Fluid Properties ◽  
Inlet Conditions ◽  
Direct Extrapolation ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

On a ten-year timescale, Carbon Capture and Storage could significantly reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. One of the major limitations of this technology is the energy penalty for the compression of CO2 to supercritical conditions, which can require up to 15% of the plant’s gross power output. To reduce the power requirements supercritical carbon dioxide compressors must operate at reduced temperatures and near saturation where phase change effects are important. Non-equilibrium condensation can occur in the high-speed flow at the leading edge of the compressor, causing performance and stability issues. The characterization of the fluid at these conditions is vital to enable advanced compressor designs at enhanced efficiency levels but the analysis is challenging due to the lack of data on the metastable fluid properties. In this paper we assess the metastable behavior and nucleation characteristics of high-pressure subcooled carbon dioxide during the expansion in a Laval nozzle. The assessment is conducted with numerical calculations, supported and corroborated by experimental measurements. The Wilson line is determined via optical measurements in the range of 41 and 82 bar and near the critical point. The state of the metastable fluid is fully characterized through pressure and density measurements, with the latter obtained in a first of its kind laser interferometry set up. In a systematic analysis the inlet conditions of the nozzle are moved close to the critical point to allow for large gradients in fluid properties and reduced margin to condensation. The results of calculations using a direct extrapolation of the Span and Wagner equation of state model are compared with the experimental measurements. The analysis suggests that the direct extrapolation using the Span and Wagner model yields results within 2% of the experimental data, with improved accuracy at conditions away from the critical point. The results are applied in a pre-production supercritical carbon dioxide compressor and are used to define inlet conditions at reduced temperature but free of condensation. Full-scale compressor experiments demonstrate that the new inlet conditions can reduce the shaft power input by 16%.

Effect of Compressor Inlet Pressure on Cycle Performance for a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric M. Clementoni ◽  
Timothy L. Cox
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Critical Point ◽  
Inlet Pressure ◽  
Cycle Performance ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Power Cycle ◽  
Compressor Inlet ◽  
Cycle Efficiency ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton power cycles take advantage of the high density of CO2 near the critical point to reduce compressor power and increase cycle efficiency. However, thermophysical properties of CO2 vary drastically near the critical point. Concerns of large property variations and liquid formation within the compressor can result in sCO2 cycle designers selecting compressor inlet operating conditions substantially above the critical point, thereby reducing cycle performance. The Naval Nuclear Laboratory has built and tested the 100 kWe Integrated System Test (IST) to demonstrate the ability to operate and control an sCO2 Brayton power cycle over a wide range of conditions. Since the purpose of the IST is focused on controllability, the design compressor inlet conditions were selected to be 8.2°F (4.6°C) and 270 psi (18.4 bar) above the critical point to reduce the effect of small variations in compressor inlet temperature and pressure on density. This paper evaluates the effect of design compressor inlet pressure on cycle efficiency for a simple recuperated Brayton cycle and the performance of an operating Brayton power cycle with a fixed design over a range of compressor inlet pressures.

Numerical Simulation of the Performance of an Axial Compressor Operating With Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinlan Gou ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Can Ma ◽  
Yong Li ◽  
Yuansheng Lin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Numerical Simulation ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Critical Point ◽  
Mass Flow Rate ◽  
Mass Flow ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

Using supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) as the working fluid of a closed Brayton cycle gas turbine is widely recognized nowadays, because of its compact layout and high efficiency for modest turbine inlet temperature. It is an attractive option for geothermal, nuclear and solar energy conversion. Compressor is one of the key components for the supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle. With established or developing small power supercritical carbon dioxide test loop, centrifugal compressor with small mass flow rate is mainly investigated and manufactured in the literature; however, nuclear energy conversion contains more power, and axial compressor is preferred to provide SCO2 compression with larger mass flow rate which is less studied in the literature. The performance of the axial supercritical carbon dioxide compressor is investigated in the current work. An axial supercritical carbon dioxide compressor with mass flow rate of 1000kg/s is designed. The thermodynamic region of the carbon dioxide is slightly above the vapor-liquid critical point with inlet total temperature 310K and total pressure 9MPa. Numerical simulation is then conducted to assess this axial compressor with look-up table adopted to handle the nonlinear variation property of supercritical carbon dioxide near the critical point. The results show that the performance of the design point of the designed axial compressor matches the primary target. Small corner separation occurs near the hub, and the flow motion of the tip leakage fluid is similar with the well-studied air compressor. Violent property variation near the critical point creates troubles for convergence near the stall condition, and the stall mechanism predictions are more difficult for the axial supercritical carbon dioxide compressor.

CFD Simulation of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Radial-Inflow Turbine, Comparing the Results of Using Real Gas Equation of Estate and Real Gas Property File

2016 ◽  
Vol 846 ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Odabaee ◽  
Emilie Sauret ◽  
Kamel Hooman
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Pressure Ratio ◽  
Computational Cost ◽  
Real Gas ◽  
Table Method ◽  
Radial Inflow Turbine ◽  
Solar Resource ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

The present study explores CFD analysis of a supercritical carbon dioxide (SCO2) radial-inflow turbine generating 100kW from a concentrated solar resource of 560oC with a pressure ratio of 2.2. Two methods of real gas property estimations including real gas equation of estate and real gas property (RGP) file - generating a required table from NIST REFPROP - were used. Comparing the numerical results and time consumption of both methods, it was shown that equation of states could insert a significant error in thermodynamic property prediction. Implementing the RGP table method indicated a very good agreement with NIST REFPROP while it had slightly more computational cost compared to the RGP table method.

Visualization of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Flow Through a Converging-Diverging Nozzle

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Hyeon Lim ◽  
Gokul Pathikonda ◽  
Sandeep Pidaparti ◽  
Devesh Ranjan
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Critical Point ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

Abstract Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles have the potential to offer a higher plant efficiency than the traditional Rankine superheated/supercritical steam cycle or Helium Brayton cycles. The most attractive characteristic of sCO2 is that the fluid density is high near the critical point, allowing compressors to consume less power than conventional gas Brayton cycles and maintain a smaller turbomachinery size. Despite these advantages, there still exist unsolved challenges in design and operation of sCO2 compressors near the critical point. Drastic changes in fluid properties near the critical point and the high compressibility of the fluid pose several challenges. Operating a sCO2 compressor near the critical point has potential to produce two phase flow, which can be detrimental to turbomachinery performance. To mimic the expanding regions of compressor blades, flow through a converging-diverging nozzle is investigated. Pressure profiles along the nozzle are recorded and presented for operating conditions near the critical point. Using high speed shadowgraph images, onset and growth of condensation is captured along the nozzle. Pressure profiles were calculated using a one-dimensional homogeneous equilibrium model and compared with experimental data.

Modeling Off-Design and Part-Load Performance of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycles

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Dyreby ◽  
Sanford A. Klein ◽  
Gregory F. Nellis ◽  
Douglas T. Reindl
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Heat Rejection ◽  
Power Cycles ◽  
Part Load ◽  
Dry Cooling ◽  
Supercritical Carbon

Continuing efforts to increase the efficiency of utility-scale electricity generation has resulted in considerable interest in Brayton cycles operating with supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2). One of the advantages of S-CO2 Brayton cycles, compared to the more traditional steam Rankine cycle, is that equal or greater thermal efficiencies can be realized using significantly smaller turbomachinery. Another advantage is that heat rejection is not limited by the saturation temperature of the working fluid, facilitating dry cooling of the cycle (i.e., the use of ambient air as the sole heat rejection medium). While dry cooling is especially advantageous for power generation in arid climates, the reduction in water consumption at any location is of growing interest due to likely tighter environmental regulations being enacted in the future. Daily and seasonal weather variations coupled with electric load variations means the plant will operate away from its design point the majority of the year. Models capable of predicting the off-design and part-load performance of S-CO2 power cycles are necessary for evaluating cycle configurations and turbomachinery designs. This paper presents a flexible modeling methodology capable of predicting the steady state performance of various S-CO2 cycle configurations for both design and off-design ambient conditions, including part-load plant operation. The models assume supercritical CO2 as the working fluid for both a simple recuperated Brayton cycle and a more complex recompression Brayton cycle.

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