Advancements in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle for Marine Propulsion and Waste Heat Recovery

Abstract

The Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle (sCO2-BC) is a highly efficient and eco-friendly alternative for marine propulsion. The adoption of sCO2-BC aligns with the industry’s focus on sustainability and can help meet emission regulations. In this context, the current study introduces a cascade system that harnesses the exhaust gases from a marine Gas Turbine Propulsion System to serve as a heat source for a bottoming Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle (sCO2-BC), which facilitates an onboard heat recovery system. The investigation primarily focuses on the recompression cycle layouts of the sCO2-BC. To assess the performance of the bottoming cycle layouts and the overall cascade system, various parameters of the recompression sCO2-BC are analyzed. These parameters include the mass flow rate of CO2 in the bottoming cycle and the effectiveness of both the low-temperature recuperator (LTR) and the high-temperature recuperator (HTR). For conducting the cycle simulations, two codes are built and integrated; this first code models the thermodynamic cycle, while the second code models the recuperators. The research shows that incorporating the sCO2 Brayton Cycle as a bottoming cycle has the potential to greatly improve the efficiency of the entire system, increasing it from 54% to 59%. Therefore, it provides a useful framework for advancing energy-efficient gas turbine systems and future research.