Recent Developments in Supercritical CO2-Based Sustainable Power Generation Technologies

Global warming and environmental pollution from greenhouse gas emissions are hitting an all-time high consistently year after year. In 2022, energy-related emissions accounted for 87% of the overall global emissions. The fossil fuel-based conventional power systems also need timely upgrades to improve their cycle efficiency and reduce their impact on the environment. Supercritical CO2 systems and cycles are gaining attention because of their higher efficiencies and their compatibility with varied energy sources. The present work is a detailed overview of the recent developments in supercritical CO2-based power generation technologies. The supercritical CO2-based Brayton and Rankine power cycles and their improvisations in industrial applications are also discussed in detail. The advances in heat exchanger technology for supercritical CO2 systems are another focus of the study. The energy, exergy, and economical (3E) analysis is carried out on various supercritical CO2 power cycles reported in the literature and the data are concisely and intuitively presented. The review concludes by listing the identified directions for future technology development and areas of immediate research interest. A roadmap is proposed for easing the commercialization of supercritical CO2 technologies to immediately address the growing challenges and concerns arising from energy-related emissions.