Current CSP plants utilize oil or steam to transfer solar energy to the power block. These fluids have properties that limit plant performance; for example, the synthetic oil has an upper temperature limit of 400°C while direct steam generation requires complex controls and has limited storage capacity. Higher operating temperatures generally translate into higher thermal cycle efficiency and often allow for more efficient thermal storage. To obviate these limitations, alternative fluids are under investigation by research teams worldwide
Supercritical CO2 operated in a closed-loop recompression Brayton cycle offers the potential of equivalent or higher cycle efficiency versus supercritical or superheated steam cycles at temperatures relevant for CSP applications.
A single-phase process using S-CO2 as both heat transfer fluid (HTF) and thermal power cycle fluid simplifies the power system configuration and reduces the installation, maintenance and operation cost of the system.
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Innovation sector
Renewable Energy
Core sciences & engineering
University researcher
Corporate researcher
Startup or entrepreneur
Solution provider
Solar energy
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