Performance Investigation of Supercritical CO2 Brayton Cycles in Combination With Solar Power and Waste Heat Recovery Systems

Abstract

A performance assessment of advanced sCO2 Brayton cycles integrated with a concentrated solar power and waste heat recovery systems was conducted. Five advanced sCO2 Brayton cycles are examined for the bottoming cycle: dual heater, dual expansion, cascade, partial recuperation, and Kimzey cycles. This study reveals that the dual heater and dual expansion cycles have the best performance among the advanced sCO2 Brayton cycles considered. The findings reveal that the highest cycle efficiency is for the dual heater and dual expansion cycles (29.18%) followed by the Kimzey cycle (27.73%), then the cascade cycle (26.29%). Consequently, the least cycle efficiency is for the partial recuperation cycle (25%). Furthermore, the highest net power takes place in the dual heater and dual expansion cycles. Finally, the findings demonstrate that increasing the pressure ratio of advanced sCO2 Brayton cycles, within the range considered, results in a reduction of the cycle efficiency.