Session: Student Poster Competition

Submission Number: 186879

Dynamic Modelling and Control of a Supercritical Co2 Power Cycle for Waste Heat Recovery 

Supercritical CO2 (sCO2) cycles have attracted considerable research interest in the scientific community in recent years as a potential alternative for power generation systems, owing to their high thermal efficiency, compact design, and adaptability to a wide range of heat sources and applications. 

The operation of sCO2 systems as a bottoming cycle for waste heat recovery (WHR) with a highly variable heat source, due to transients in the process, is strongly demanding on the stability and mechanical integrity of the components. With this in mind, the transient cycle operation has to be studied extensively to ensure a safe, stable, and efficient operation. However, for waste heat recovery, especially application-specific cycles such as the Preheating cycle, research is limited and the stable operation during load-following remains insufficiently addressed in literature. 

In this context, the present poster provides an assessment of the dynamic modeling and control of a sCO2 cycle for load following during waste heat recovery. To this end, a dynamic model is developed in EcosimPro to evaluate the transient behavior of the preheating cycle. As a heat source, a gas turbine exhaust is modelled and application-specific operation scenarios, such as constant turbine outlet temperature control, are applied. Furthermore, the operation of the sCO2 cycle regarding specific grid-codes, which determine the operating scheme in real-world scenarios, is studied. Thus, it is examined whether the cycle can provide primary and secondary reserve, with fast ramp-up/down within the prescribed time frame.

The results of this study present a methodology for developing a dynamic cycle model for waste heat recovery and for assessing relevant operation strategies and constrains. The analysis identifies the component limits encountered during primary and secondary reserve provision and determines the control strategies required to maintain stable operation under aggressive load-following transients. Overall, the findings provide a basis for evaluating the feasibility of grid-support operation of sCO2 WHR cycles under realistic, highly variable heat-source conditions.

Presenting Author: Leonard Muke University of Seville

Presenting Author Biography: Leonard Muke is a doctoral student of the University of Seville within the ISOP program, researching the dynamic operation of sCO2 cycles.

Authors:

Leonard Muke University of Seville