[E&E seminars] Symposium on Next Generation Power Systems, March 6

[Karen Gibson]

Symposium on
  Next Generation Power Systems:
  The Supercritical CO2 Brayton Power Cycle
  to be held at MIT on March 6,2007.
Gas turbine cycles have attracted attention within the nuclear  
community because of their high efficiencies. For example, the Pebble  
Bed Modular Reactor under development in South Africa uses a helium  
Brayton cycle.  Because helium Brayton cycles require high  
temperature, above about 800°C, to achieve high efficiencies, their  
applicability is limited to reactor concepts with very high core  
outlet temperatures. Recently, a supercritical CO2 (SCO2) power cycle  
has attracted increased international attention, because of its  
ability to achieve high efficiencies (e.g. 45%) at moderate  
temperatures (e.g. 550°C) that match the temperature ranges of  
existing reactor technologies. In addition, the SCO2 cycle equipment  
is even more compact than that of helium power cycle, which is  
already more compact than a steam cycle.

The purpose for holding this symposium is to:

Review the status of worldwide research activities on the SCO2 power  
conversion system and its key components,
Examine the potential of this power cycle in comparison with  
alternative energy conversion systems,
Develop insights among experts from industry, national laboratories  
and academia about the major challenges for the development of this  
cycle, and
Attract funding agencies and or venture funds to participate in the  
development of this promising technology.

Topical areas that will be addressed include cycle description, its  
application potential to fossil and nuclear power plants and  
comparison with other cycles, design considerations priorities of key  
components, such as heat exchangers, turbomachinery and bearings,  
materials issues, cycle operational and transient considerations and  
the major R&D needs.

Agenda and more details on the registration and location are at
   http://web.mit.edu/canes/symposia/sco2/overview.html


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