Design of a 1 MWth Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Primary Heat Exchanger Test System

A new generation of concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies is under development to provide dispatchable renewable power generation and reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) to 6 cents/kWh by leveraging heat transfer fluids (HTFs) capable of operation at higher temperatures and coupling with higher efficiency power conversion cycles. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has funded three pathways for Generation 3 CSP (Gen3CSP) technology development to leverage solid, liquid, and gaseous HTFs to transfer heat to a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO(2)) Brayton cycle. This paper presents the design and off-design capabilities of a 1 MWth sCO(2) test system that can provide sCO(2) coolant to the primary heat exchangers (PHX) coupling the high-temperature HTFs to the sCO(2) working fluid of the power cycle. This system will demonstrate design, performance, lifetime, and operability at a scale relevant to commercial CSP. A dense-phase high-pressure canned motor pump is used to supply up to 5.3 kg/s of sCO(2) flow to the primary heat exchanger at pressures up to 250 bar and temperatures up to 715 degrees C with ambient air as the ultimate heat sink. Key component requirements for this system are presented in this paper.

Automated summary

A new generation of CSP technologies is being developed to provide dispatchable renewable power generation and reduce the levelized cost of electricity. The U.S. Department of Energy has funded three pathways for Generation 3 CSP technology development, leveraging different heat transfer fluids to transfer heat to a supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle.