Global warming and environmental pollution from greenhouse gas emissions are hitting an all-time high consistently year after year. In 2022, energy-related emissions accounted for 87% of the overall global emissions. The fossil fuel-based conventional power systems also need timely upgrades to improve their cycle efficiency and reduce their impact on the environment. Supercritical CO2 systems and cycles are gaining attention because of their higher efficiencies and their compatibility with varied energy sources. The present work is a detailed overview of the recent developments in supercritical CO2-based power generation technologies. The supercritical CO2-based Brayton and Rankine power cycles and their improvisations in industrial applications are also discussed in detail. The advances in heat exchanger technology for supercritical CO2 systems are another focus of the study. The energy, exergy, and economical (3E) analysis is carried out on various supercritical CO2 power cycles reported in the literature and the data are concisely and intuitively presented. The review concludes by listing the identified directions for future technology development and areas of immediate research interest. A roadmap is proposed for easing the commercialization of supercritical CO2 technologies to immediately address the growing challenges and concerns arising from energy-related emissions.
A carbon dioxide based transcritical air conditioning system integrated with an ejector is thermodynamically modeled and the system is simulated for different ambient conditions. Throughout the analysis, the isentropic efficiency of motive nozzle, suction nozzle and diffuser is assumed as 85% while the mixing takes place at constant pressure. A step-by-step iterative procedure is adopted to obtain the pressure lift and entrainment ratio. The present thermodynamic model is validated with the experimental results available in the open literature. Results were then compared to a conventional transcritical carbon dioxide system working between the same operating conditions. Results show a significant improvement of about 21% and more in system performance compared to a conventional system working under the same operating conditions. To justify the application of an ejector as an expansion work recovery device and to identify the component level exergy destruction rate, a comprehensive exergy analysis is implemented and the results show 20% reduction in total exergy destruction rate of the system, with an ejector.
Solar assisted trigeneration system has proved to be a potential method in generating power with net zero carbon emissions. The present work aims to address the potential ways to improve the efficiency of the solar energy-integrated carbon dioxide trigeneration system. A regeneration integrated combined cooling, heating, and power system is proposed. With a comprehensive thermodynamic model, the proposed system is simulated for various operating conditions. A component-level exergy analysis is also conducted to estimate the total irreversibility of the system. As the gas cooler exit temperature increases, the overall system irreversibility also increases. When the bleed mass is 20% of the total mass, the system has the lowest energy destruction rate. The potential component that contributes most to system irreversibility is the gas cooler, followed by the regenerator and expansion valve. The proposed system with regeneration yields 29% more COP than the conventional system when operating at lower compressor discharge pressure and a gas cooler exit temperature of 34 °C. It is inferred from the obtained results that to reduce the total irreversibility of the system, it is advised to operate the system at a lower compressor discharge pressure and gas cooler exit temperature.