The Helmholtz Zentrum in Dresden has chosen Kelvion’s innovative printed circuit K°Bond heat exchangers to test a power cycle using supercritical CO2 for the project “Carbosola”. Known as the Brayton Cycle, it is much more efficient than those based on water/steam and, as a result, is expected to become an important technology in future.
Thus, the Brayton Cycle is an attractive alternative for concentrated solar power, industrial waste heat recovery, fossil fuel fired power plants and nuclear power plants. K°Bond has already proven its value in the Brayton Cycle due to its compactness and efficiency that lead to a lower working fluid inventory of the system. It can also handle the high temperatures and working pressures involved in the process, thanks to the use of nickel-based alloys.
The test facility of Carbosola will be set up at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR / Germany) at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics in Dresden and will be ready to begin testing late next year. Kelvion is supplying a custom-built K°BOND cooler and recuperator for the test installation. During the design stage, the company co-operated with the Helmholtz Zentrum on changes to flows and operating temperatures. Kelvion will continue collaborating with the project by analyzing the process data and reviewing the performance of the heat exchangers in different conditions.
