supercritical carbon dioxide turbine: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	sCO2 turbine

Photos

Interior view of the worlds first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generation project in Guizhou Province of China, showing large turbines, generators, and industrial equipment used in the facility power generation system.

A phase diagram for carbon dioxide with pressure on the y-axis and temperature on the x-axis, showing regions for solid, liquid, gas, and supercritical fluid. The diagram marks the triple point where all three phases coexist, and the critical point beyond which CO2 becomes a supercritical fluid. Boundaries for sublimation, melting, and vaporization are labeled.

Brayton cycle schematic shows a compressor and turbine driving a generator, with a recuperator, primary heat exchanger for heat addition, and precooler for heat rejection. Below, a pressure-volume graph traces compression from A to B, constant-pressure heat addition from B to C, turbine expansion from C to D, and heat rejection from D to A.

See All Images →

Topics

Rankine cycle heat engine gas-turbine engine Carnot cycle