News – Scarabeusproject

Final dissemination event organized by SCARABEUS

1 August, 2023/in News /by jose

As the SCARABEUS project is reaching to an end, it is time to organise the final dissemination event in the form of an international conference. To this end, SCARABEUS has agreed to co-locate this event with the 7^th International Seminar on Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) Power Systems, held in Seville between September 4^th and 6^th.

The International Seminar on ORC Power Systems is organised biennially by the Knowledge Centre on Organic Rankine Cycle Technology – KCORC, the reference organisation for the dissemination of all information related to ORC technology research, development and education. KORC promotes the interdisciplinary knowledge exchange between dedicated international professionals from academia, industry, governmental agencies and policy makers, with the aim is to advance the research, development and implementation of ORC technology by means of providing relevant technical and scientific information, organizing technical conferences and workshops, fostering engineering education, and advising on proper regulation. The seventh edition of the conference is hosted by University of Seville, an SCARABEUS partner.

The SCARABEUS dissemination event will be held on Wednesday, September 7^th, parallel to and jointly with the sessions of ORC 2023. This will facilitate exposure to a large number of stakeholders from different backgrounds, hence ensuring maximum outreach of the results. The event is comprised of technical presentations disclosing the main results obtained throughout the project in all the relevant scientific and technical areas as well as high-level presentations of related projects funded by the European Commission which can take exploit synergies with SCARABEUS.

The event is sponsored by the European Commission and, hence, the registration fee is kept to a minimum, also giving access to the technical and keynote sessions of ORC 2023. More information about the event and how to register can be found on the conference website: Link

Do not miss this opportunity to interact with the consortium and get to know all the outcomes of the project!

Very active participation of the SCARABEUS consortium at ASME Turbo Expo in Boston

7 July, 2023/in News /by jose

Turbo Expo is the flagship conference in the field of turbomachinery for power generation and aircraft and marine propulsion. The conference gathers ~2500 professionals annually, who meet to share the latest development of the scientific and industrial communities through technical, panel and tutorial sessions as well as keynote talks. The conference is organized by the International Gas Turbine Institute of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Turbo Expo has been one of the preferred venues to disseminate the outcomes of the SCARABEUS project, as communicated in previous years on this website, and this year has not been different.

In the first day of this year’s conference, held at the Hynes Convention centre in Boston (MA), Prof. David Sánchez organised a panel session to introduce the “Supercritical CO₂ Projects in the International Community”. Seven projects funded by the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes of the European Commission were presented in this session, followed by a very interesting panel discussion. The SCARABEUS project broke the ice, setting the stage for the other projects to complete the landscape of supercritical Carbon Dioxide research in Europe. The kind support of Eric Clementoni (Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation), stepping forward as improvised Co-Chair of the session due to the absence of Dr. Jason Wilkes (Southwest Research Institute) is gratefully acknowledge.

Intro slide and session schedule of panel on international Supercritical Carbon Dioxide projects

Panellists of session 31-31 (from left): Rafael Guédez (KTH), Silvia Trevisan (KTH), Lorenzo Arcangeli (Baker Hughes), Alberto Traverso (University of Genoa), Renaud Le Pierres (Meggitt), David Sánchez (University of Seville)

The main outcomes of the SCARABEUS project were also presented at another panel session, “Supercritical CO₂ Research & Development”, organised by Renaud Le Pierres (Meggitt, UK), where Prof. David Sánchez (Dissemination Coordinator of the SCARABEUS project) shared the stage with distinguished speakers from Europe and North America: Vittorio Michelasi (Baker Hughes, Italy), Nathan Weiland (National Energy Technology Laboratory, USA), Aaron McClung (Southwest Research Institute, USA), Ty Neises (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). With respect to the session above, this session had a much wider scope, not only discussing today research efforts but also looking into the foreseen needs of the energy market in the future and how supercritical Carbon Dioxide technologies can possibly fulfil them.

In addition to these panel sessions, a number of technical papers were presented at ASME Turbo Expo by the SCARABEUS partners. The team at University of Seville presented a very interesting paper discussing how to optimise the design and operation of Air-Cooled Condensers to enhance part load performance with minimum impact on Capital Costs:

Rodríguez-de Arriba, F. Crespi, D. Sánchez, L. García-Rodríguez, 2023, Assessment of Part-load Operating Strategies of Supercritical Power Cycles Using Carbon Dioxide Mixtures in CSP Plants, Including Air-Cooled Condenser Optimisation (GT2023-103665), Presented at Turbo Expo, June 26-30, Boston (MA).

The team at City, University of London presented their latest research on the development of axial turbines for Carbon Dioxide mixtures. In this paper, the authors compared the impact of adding certain dopants on the flow path of large axial turbines working with Carbon Dioxide and supercritical inlet conditions:

I. Salah, M. T. White, A. I. Sayma, 2023, A Comparison of Flow Path Designs for Axial Turbines Operating with Pure CO₂ and CO₂ Mixtures, Presented at Turbo Expo, June 26-30, Boston (MA).

These technical papers are currently being processed by the editorial services of ASME and will be made available in Open Access in the next months. Keep an eye on the online digital collection and on this website for further information.

SCARABEUS test rig successfully commissioned at Technische Universität Wien

26 June, 2023/in News /by jose

With the stamp on the nameplate, the long path of commissioning the test facility is now successfully finished.

From the start of the SCARABEUS project in 2019, the team at TUW has worked very hard to make this happen. The steps involved:

A HAZOP study,
A design review,
And the official commissioning,

all three under the guidance of the notified body in Austria (TÜV Austria).

The original test facility existing at TUW was modified to a recuperated Rankine cycle. In the first test campaign, the novel heat exchangers with pure CO₂ will be examined: the recuperator (a printed circuit heat exchanger) and the air-cooled condenser – both from the project partner Kelvion Thermal Solutions. A brand new gas burner and the attached Inconel primary heater will supply the testing section of the facility us with flue gas at 850 °C and heat up the CO₂ to 650 °C.

It has been a long and bumpy road due to the many hurdles arising as a consequence of the pandemic and subsequent shortage of critical supplies. Nevertheless, the team at TUW made it happen. Congratulations!

Presentations of ETN’s fourth episode of the webinar series on R& Activities on sCO2 in Europe already available

16 June, 2023/in News, Sin categoría /by jose

We are very glad to announce that the presentations of the 4^th webinar on R&D Activities on sCO₂ Activities in Europe are now available for download.

Organised by ETN Global, coordinator of the CO2OLHEAT Project, this last event was focused on heat exchanger technology, since heat exchangers are core equipment of sCO₂ systems with an expectedly strong impact on Capital Costs and performance. It is to note that event was part of the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW), as a Sustainable Energy Day.

These are the talks that we had the opportunity to enjoy:

CFD-aided conceptual design of a cooler in sCO₂ cycles for novel waste-heat-to-power (WH2P) plant layouts, Panagiotis Drosatos (CERTH)
Development of a high-efficiency particle-sCO₂ heat exchanger for CSP applications, Maxime Rouzès (John Cockerill)
How additive manufacturing will help the energy sector: application to the primary heat exchanger in a sCO₂ cycle, Damien Serret (TEMISTH)

Follow this link to get your copy of the presentations: Link

The fourth episode of the webinar series on R& Activities on sCO2 in Europe organized by ETN will take place on Monday, June 12th

6 June, 2023/in News /by jose

A new episode of the webinar series on supercritical Carbon Dioxide technology is here. After Episode 1 -introduction to ongoing sCO₂ projects in Europe-, Episode 2 -sCO₂ compressor challenges- and Episode 3 -recuperative heat exchangers for sCO2 power systems-, Episode 4 will focus on the so-called primary heat exchanger.

Unlike turbomachinery and recuperators, primary heat exchangers are application-specific. This means that their design and specific challenges are tightly linked to the environment they will be used in: Waste Heat Recovery, Concentrated Solar Power… An excellent portfolio of speakers comprised of Panagiotis Drosatos (Centre for Research & Technology Hellas -CERTH), Maxime Rouzès (John Cockerill) and Damien Serret(TEMISTh) will guide us through different their experience in designing actual equipment, the specifications of the corresponding users and the challenges posed by the demanding operating conditions.

Attendance to the event is free but registration on Eventbrite is necessary: LINK. Download the flyer of the event here: DOWNLOAD

The CO2OLHEAT Project, coordinated by ETN Global, aims to demonstrate (at TRL7) the operation of a 2 MW Waste-Heat-to-power (WH2P) skid based on a 2MW-sCO₂ cycle, able to efficiently valorize local waste heat at a significant temperature of 400°C in a heavy industrial facility.

ETN Global initiated, in September 2022, a series of webinars aimed at providing a forum where the R&D activities in the area of supercritical Carbon Dioxide technologies can be disseminated and made known to a wider audience. This initative has been joined by seven international and national projects, funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission (CO2OLHEAT, COMPASsCO2, SCARABEUS, DESOLINATION, SOLARSCO2OL, sCO2-4-NPP) and by national R&D programmes in Germany (CARBOSOLA) and the Czech Republic (sCO₂-Efekt).

The first webinar, held on September 22^nd, aimed to introduce these projects in a single session, providing the main features of the project from technical and administrative standpoints. Opportunities for collaboration between projects and with stakeholders were also highlighted. Presentations can be downloaded from the SCARABEUS website: Link.

The second webinar took place on December 5^th and presented a focus session discussing the fundamental and technical challenges posed for the design and operation of compressors in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide power systems. Three outstanding speakers covered these aspects; the session turned out very well and the feedback was very positive. Presentations can be downloaded from the SCARABEUS website: Link.

The next event will take place on March 6^th, 16.00 – 17.00 CET. It will focus on heat exchanger technology, since heat exchangers are core equipment of sCO₂ systems with an expectedly strong impact on Capital Costs and performance. Follow this link to registration: Link

SCARABEUS papers presented at the 5th European Conference on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Energy Systems now available for download

20 May, 2023/in News /by jose

The 5^th European Conference on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Energy Systems was held in Prague (Czech Republic) on the 15^th and 16^th of March, 2023. The conference was very well organised by Prof. Dostal (Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic) and Prof. Brillert (Technical University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany).

The excellent scientific programme was comprised of scientific and industrial presentations, combined with interesting keynotes and panel sessions. The SCARABEUS consortium contributed two excellent papers:

Illyés, S. Thanheiser, P. Schwarzmayr, P.L. David, X. Guerif. A. Werner, M. Haider, sCO₂ test facility at TU Wien: design, operation and results
Rodríguez-de Arriba, F. Crespi, D. Sánchez, A. Muñoz, A methodology to design air-cooled condensers for supercritical power cycles using carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide mixtures.

The technical papers presented at the conference are now available for download (Open-Access). Get you copy here: Link

Exhibition at the SCARABEUS experimental facility, TU Wien

11 May, 2023/in News, Sin categoría /by jose

As SCARABEUS is reaching the final stage of the project(end scheduled in February 2024), the consortium is very glad and proud to announce the Exhibition that will take place at the Science Centre, TU Wien, hosting the experimental facility where the innovative mixtures and components developed in the course of the project have been tested successfully.

A fabulous programme has been set up by the team at TU Wien, with assorted speakers from academia and industry who will share their experience, knowledge and thoughts about supercritical Carbon Dioxide power cycle technology.

10:00	Welcome – Prof. Markus Haider. Inst. for Energy Systems and Thermodynamics, TU Wien.
10:15	The SCARABEUS project and experimental work Chaired by Markus Haider (TU Wien) *Overwiew about the SCARABEUS-Project* Prof. Giampaolo Manzolini (Project Coordinator) Department of Energy, Politecnico di Milano. *The sCO₂-test rig at TU Wien* DI Viktoria Illyés (PhD-student) Institute for Energy Systems and Thermodynamics, TU Wien
11:15	Coffee break
11:30	*Presentation of sCO₂-test rig and lab of TUW* Markus Haider, Viktoria Illyés, Andreas Werner Institute for Energy Systems and Thermodynamics, TU Wien
12:30	Lunch (Catering)
13:30	sCO2 power cycles: Components I, perspectives and experiments Chaired by Markus Haider (TU Wien) *sCO₂ from* *Baker* *Hughes´ perspective* Marco Fiori (MSc), Product Development, Technology and Innovation Strategy Baker Hughes. *Future outlook and challenges for implementing sCO₂ energy conversion systems* Prof. David Sánchez Department of Energy Engineering, University of Seville. *sCO₂ as a working medium – characteristics of flow and heat transfer* Prof. René Pecnik Head of Process and Energy Laboratory Delft University of Technology.
15:00	Coffee break
15:30	sCO2 power cycles: Components II and mixtures Chaired by Andreas Werner (TU Wien) *Turbomachinery from standpoint of research* Prof. T. Turunen-Saaresti School of Energy Systems LUT University, Finland *Blends for sCO2 in power cycles* Dr. Andreas Jäger Head of Working Group for Thermal Energy Machinery and -plants TU Dresden. *sCO2 test rigs: world wide and in Europe (to be confirmed)* Ing. Otakar Frýbort Centrum Výzkumu Řež, s.r.o., Czech Republic.

Attendance to the Exhibition is free and includes not only a technical tour to the lab and access to the room sessions but also excellent networking opportunities with the partners of the SCARABEUS consortium and fellow attendees. Do not miss this opportunity to get acquainted with the latest developments for next generation Concentrated Solar Power technologies!

Click to download full programme and directions to the venue: download

For more information, get in contact with the Dissemination Manager of the SCARABEUS project: Prof. David Sánchez (ds@us.es)

New project on Supercritical Carbon Dioxide power systems opens 17 positions for Early Stage Researchers across Europe

2 May, 2023/in News, Others /by jose

iSOP stands for Innovation in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Power Systems. It is a four year project funded by the European Commission through the Marie Sklodovska-Curie subprogramme of Horizon Europe, the 100 billion Euro flagship R&D programme in the EU.

iSOP is an Industrial Doctoral Network (MSCA-DN-IN) coordinated by University of Seville (Prof. David T. Sánchez Martínez) and focused on different yet complementary key aspects of the technology: system integration for internally or externally heated concepts, component (turbomachinery and heat exchangers) design and manufacturing, operation, control, materials, enviro-economics… To investigate each topic, an Early Stage Researcher (Doctoral Candidate) will be recruited by two members of the consortium. This is a unique feature of this class of projects, aimed at maximising the exposure of the researchers to both scientific and industrial environments (50% of the time spent at academia and industry).

Check out the complete list of PhD topics available and the associated beneficiaries involved at the iSOP website: Link

Acknowledgement: ISOP has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions (DN-ID), under Grant Agreement No. 101073266.

Salma Salah successfully passes PhD Viva at City, University of London

24 April, 2023/in News, Others /by jose

As SCARABEUS heads towards the last months of the project, and research outcomes are being disseminated amongst different stakeholders, the younger researchers in the project are also achieving their scientific objectives.

This last week saw Salma Salah, a young researcher at City, University of London, successfully pass her PhD Viva. Within WP3, Salma has worked very hard on the development of the SCARABEUS turbine, in collaboration with Baker-Hughes and interacting with University of Seville to ensure seamless integration with the work carried out in WP5. Let’s have Salma presenting this with her own words:

“I have been working during the last four years on a PhD research project entitled “the design and analysis of supercritical carbon dioxide axial turbines”. This research is a part of the SACARABEUS project which aims to demonstrate the application of CO₂ blends for Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants to enable cycle efficiencies greater than 50%, and hence enhance competitiveness of CSP technologies in the energy market. Considering that the turbine efficiency significantly affects the overall plant performance, the overall aim of my research is to develop design and optimisation tools for a 100 MWe scale sCO₂ multi-stage axial turbine design for concentrated solar power cycles.

Turbine design is a multi-stage process that starts with preliminary aerodynamic design and optimisation using a combination of one-dimensional mean-line design suitable loss models. These models are used to quantify the energy losses that the working fluid experiences during the expansion in the blade rows, and hence they can predict overall turbine performance. To develop a turbine design operating with CO₂ blends that stands from a practical design, other considerations should be considered, such as mechanical and rotor-dynamic considerations, to ensure a turbine design withstands the applied stresses and can operate safely under the different operation conditions. Therefore, the scope of this research focused on exploring the existing design methodologies to produce a mean line design for a multi-stage axial turbine operating with CO₂ blends and to investigate the validity of the loss models for non-conventional working fluids (such as CO₂ and organic fluids). Within this research I worked on developing a mean-line design tool that can optimise the aerodynamic turbine performance alongside complying with rotordynamic and mechanical design criteria.

Additionally, multiple design loss models have been integrated for turbines operating with these non-conventional working fluids. Using the developed tool, the loss models have been computed for air, sCO₂ and ORC turbines.

Ultimately, a 14-stage CO₂/SO₂ flow path has been designed for a 100 MW CSP plant and the financial feasibility of the turbine flow path has been investigated to ensure that the design stands from an economic point.”

The SCARABEUS team would like to congratulate Salma Salah on this major step in her scientific career, and also the supervisors Prof. Abdulnaser Sayma (City, University of London) and Dr. Martin White (University of Sussex) and the entire team at City, University of London. Best of luck for your future professional development Salma!

A copy of Dr. Salah’s thesis can be downloaded from the repository at City, University of London: https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/30364/

The third episode of the webinar series on R& Activities on sCO2 in Europe organized by ETN will take place on March 6th

18 February, 2023/in News /by jose

As already published on this website, the CO2OLHEAT Project coordinated by ETN Global aims to demonstrate (at TRL7) the operation of a 2 MW Waste-Heat-to-power (WH2P) skid based on a 2MW-sCO₂ cycle, able to efficiently valorize local waste heat at a significant temperature of 400°C in the CEMEX cement manufacturing plant in Prachovice (CZ).

ETN Global initiated, in September 2022, a series of webinars aimed at providing a forum where the R&D activities in the area of supercritical Carbon Dioxide technologies can be disseminated and made known to a wider audience. This initative has been joined by seven international and national projects, funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission (CO2OLHEAT, COMPASsCO2, SCARABEUS, DESOLINATION, SOLARSCO2OL, sCO2-4-NPP) and by national R&D programmes in Germany (CARBOSOLA) and the Czech Republic (sCO₂-Efekt).