Steam turbines could be replaced by pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) closed-loop systems to spin turbines.
Steam turbines in thermal power generation are today’s standard. But pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) in a closed-loop system could do the job. Supercritical CO2 acting as both a liquid and a gas under extreme pressure would provide the impetus to spin a turbine. Using supercritical CO2 may prove to be far more efficient than steam to provide emissions-free power to the electrical grid. Energy input coming from renewable sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, as well as nuclear power, or even gas or coal-fired thermal energy power plants with accompanying carbon capture technology could be combined with this technology to be an effective addition to energy utilities.
Recently researchers at the Sandia National Laboratory Kirtland Air Force Base in the United States demonstrated a closed-loop Brayton Cycle engine technology as it delivered power to the electrical grid continuously. Sandia has been working with the Brayton Cycle technology for power generation for some time now because it is seen as having significant energy conversion advantages over conventional steam turbines by as much as 50%.
