Technology:

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycles Starting to Hit the Market (Breaking Energy)

Supercritical CO2 power cycles are gaining increasing attention in the engineering world. sCO2 is an ideal working fluid for use in power generating turbines because it offers high efficiency in a compact footprint and can be matched to many different heat sources. sCO2 power turbines could potentially replace steam cycles in a wide variety of power generation applications resulting in higher efficiencies and lower cost of electricity.

Supercritical CO2 is a fluid state of carbon dioxide where it is held above its critical pressure and critical temperature which causes the gas to go beyond liquid or gas into a phase where it acts as both simultaneously. Many fluids can achieve supercritical states and supercritical steam has been used in power generation for decades. Supercritical CO2 has many unique properties that allow it to dissolve materials like a liquid but also flow like a gas. sCO2 is non-toxic and non-flammable and is used as an environmentally-friendly solvent for decaffeinating coffee and dry-cleaning clothes.

Read More......