Comparative study on supercritical carbon dioxide cycle using air-cooler and water-cooler

Yaqin Liu, Jinliang Xu and Tianze Wang

Energy, 2025, vol. 314, issue C

Abstract: Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) cycle has high efficiency and fast response as load changes. It is important to examine whether the sCO2 cycle is suitable in arid area. Hence, we explore the effect of air-cooler and water-cooler on the performance of a 300 MW sCO2 coal fired generation system. Flow and heat transfer models were established for air-cooler and water-cooler. The later includes shell-tube-heat-exchangers and a cooling tower. We show a 0.8 % efficiency drop using air-cooler instead of water-cooler, at an air temperature of Ta = 20 °C, which increases as Ta rises. The increased temperature of sCO2 and exergy destruction in air-cooler explain the efficiency penalty. Compared with cooling conditions for water-steam Rankine cycle, larger temperature difference exists in ∼30 K level between sCO2 and cooling fluids, explaining weaker efficiency penalty for sCO2 cycle. Besides, the usage of air-cooler creates a 3.66 million RMB cost reduction than water-cooler. The raised cost of shell-tube-heat-exchangers for the water-cooler accounts for cheaper construction of the air-cooler. Based on this study, the air-cooler induces mini efficiency drop and reduced cost, it is concluded that for sCO2 cycle it is preferable to use the air-cooler, which is benefit to save the water resource in arid area.

Keywords: sCO2 cycle; Air-cooler; Water-cooler; Pressure drop; Heat transfer; Cost (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0360544224039264

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2024.134148

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