HHI and KEPCO develop supercritical CO2 generating technology

• 7 years ago (2016-11-02)
• David Flin

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Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) have announced that they have developed next generation technologies for power plants using waste heat. HHI announced that it received a basic approval from Lloyd’s Register for a 2 MW supercritical CO2 power plant.

Supercritical CO2 generating technology operates turbines by circulating CO2 that reaches supercritical stage in temperature and pressure lower than that of water. HHI said that the economic feasibility, as its efficiency is up to 30 per cent higher than current steam turbines, and is one third of their size.

HHI and KEPCO plan to commercialise this by 2019, after carrying out performance tests that will be starting next year. They say they will be aiming for entry into generator markets together by using power plant, marine applications, low temperature waste heat, and new energy businesses that utilise recycling of waste heat.

Joo Won-ho, Director of HHI’s Central Technical Institute, said: “It is predicted that markets for supercritical carbon dioxide plants will be worth $12.2 billion in 2023, and we are going to expand our business towards large power plants that are over 10 MW after preoccupying markets for ship engine generators before other leading companies.”

Kim Dong-seop, Director of KEPCO’s Electricity Research Institute, said: “Supercritical carbon dioxide generating technology reduces greenhouse gases through increase in efficiency, and it is a generating technology with huge potential that can link between thermal power and nuclear power.”