S UPERCRITICAL CO 2 P OWER C YCLE

Eugenio Giacomazzi,ENEA
 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
The International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests three scenarios
ahead to 2050*:
the 2C Scenario (2DS): a rise in global temperature of 2C in a vision of a
sustainable energy system of reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and CO2
emissions;
the 4C Scenario (4DS): a rise in global temperature of 4C, reflecting
pledges by countries to cut emissions and boost energy efficiency;
the 6C Scenario (6DS): a rise in global temperature of 6C, where the
world is now heading with potentially devastating results.
*IEA - Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) 2012

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
Electricity demand increase both in 2DS and 4DS*.
*IEA - Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) 2012

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
Despite the growth of low-carbon sources of energy, natural gas is
a transitional fuel also in the 2DS *:
power generation from natural gas increases up to 2030 in the 2DS and the
4DS;
from 2030 to 2050 generation differs markedly, but natural gas remains a
consistent source.
*IEA - Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) 2012

4DS 2DS
10 000 10 000

7 500 7 500
TWh

5 000 5 000

2 500 2 500

0 0
2009 2020 2030 2040 2050 2009 2020 2030 2040 2050
OECD Non-OECD

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
The share of unconventional gas of total gas supply continues to
increase in both 4DS and 2DS*.
*IEA - Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) 2012

4DS

2DS

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
To achieve the 2DS, energy-related CO2 emissions must be
halved until 2050*.
*IEA - Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) 2012

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
Technologies contribution to reaching the 2DS vs 4DS: CCS are
the 20% of the solution*.
*IEA - Energy Technology Perspective (ETP) 2012

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Context
Key issues:
from 2009 to 2050 global final electricity demand doubles
CCS is a key technology to make sustainable the energy demand from
fossil fuels
both conventional and unconventional natural gas continue to play an
important role in power generation until 2050

In this context Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycles can

play a role in power generation with CCS, both in terms of efficiency
increase and costs reduction.

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Concept
The basic scheme is a Brayton-Joule cycle in closed or semi-closed
configuration which uses supercritical CO2 (S-CO2) as working fluid.
The reasons of growing interest toward this technology are
manifold:
simple cycle efficiency potentially above 50%;
near zero-emissions cycle;
footprints one hundredth of traditional turbomachinery for the same power
output due to the high density of working fluid;
extraction of pipeline ready CO2 for sequestration or enhanced oil recovery,
without both CO2 capture facilities and compression systems;
integration with concentrating solar power (CSP), waste heat, nuclear and
geothermal, with high efficiency in energy conversion;
applications with severe volume constraints such as ship propulsion.
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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Concept
S-CO2 Brayton-Joule cycle natural gas-fired in semi-closed
configuration with oxy-combustion
Near Critical Point CO2

FUEL OXYGEN

CO2

CONDENSER

CO2

WATER
CO2 Pipeline Ready
to storage

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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

State-of-the-art

Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are

involved with Toshiba, Echogen, Dresser Rand, GE, Barber-Nichols in S-CO2
cycles.
Toshiba, The Shaw Group and Exelon Corporation are engaged in a
consortium agreement to develop Net Powers gas-fired generation technology
with zero emissions target. This approach uses an oxy-combustion, high
pressure, S-CO2 cycle, named Allam Cycle. Toshiba will design, test and
manufacture a combustor and turbine for a 25MW natural gas-fired plant. A
250MW full-scale plant is expected by 2017.
Echogen Power Systems has ben developing a power generation cycle for
waste heat recovery, CHP, geothermal and hybrid as alternative to the internal
combustion engine.
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is engaged with Argonne National Laboratories
in a project with aim to integrate a 1000 MW nuclear plant with a S-CO2 cycle.
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 Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Cycle

Project Rationale

The project aims to find a cycle configuration, gas-fired, with S-CO2 as

working fluid, optimized for electrical energy production, with near zero
emissions. With this target in mind, the proposed activities are:
a theoretical study to evaluate performances of different Brayton-Joule cycle
configurations;
a first series of exploratory experiences to realize a natural-gas
oxy-combustion in CO2 (gas phase) atmosphere, by adapting an existing
micro-GT;
the realization of a micro-scale proof-of-concept.

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 Contact
ITALIAN NATIONAL AGENCY
FOR NEW TECHNOLOGIES, ENERGY AND
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
UTTEI Unit of Advanced Technologies for Energy and Industry
COMSO Sustainable Combustion Processes Laboratory

Giuseppe Messina Eugenio Giacomazzi

Mechanical Engineer
ENEA C.R. Casaccia, UTTEI-COMSO, S.P. 081
Via Anguillarese, 301
00123 S. M. Galeria, ROMA ITALY
Tel.: +39.063048.6762 Fax: +39.063048.4811
Mobile Phone: +39.3338617051
E-Mail: giuseppe.messina@casaccia.enea.it
Ph.D., Aeronautic Engineer
Researcher
ENEA C.R. Casaccia, UTTEI-COMSO, S.P. 081
Via Anguillarese, 301
00123 S. M. Galeria, ROMA ITALY
Tel.: +39.063048.4649 / 4690 Fax: +39.063048.4811
Mobile Phone: +39.3383461449
E-Mail: eugenio.giacomazzi@enea.it

Thanks for your attention!

Express your interest sending an e-mail to:
Giuseppe.Messina@Casaccia.ENEA.it
Eugenio.Giacomazzi@ENEA.it

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