General Electric (GE) Global Research has developed a prototype turbine which converts carbon dioxide into electricity. While the size of the turbine does not exceed that of a desk, the inventors say it could actually power a town of 10,000 homes!
This sounds really promising. Doug Hofer is a steam turbine specialist leading the development of the carbon dioxide turbine technology at GE Global Research headquarters in Niskayuna, New York. He said in a press release, “the world is seeking cleaner and more efficient ways to generate power. The concepts we are exploring with this machine are helping us address both.”
Unlike conventional turbines which convert the thermal energy of pressurized steam into mechanical energy, GE’s turbine uses CO2 in the form of a supercritical fluid to operate. This state is what gives the turbine some truly remarkable properties. A supercritical fluid is basically an intermediate state between a gas and a liquid, which is reached thanks to the incredibly high temperatures and/or pressures at which the substance is maintained. Thus, supercritical fluids can both move through solid matter like gases and dissolve materials like liquids.
According to GE, these exceptional properties of supercritical fluids significantly increase the efficiency of their prototype turbine in comparison with steam turbines, along with the advantage in compactness (steam turbines are normally about 10 times bigger). Moreover, carbon dioxide is capable of absorbing, storing and releasing heat much quicker than water, which further increases the turbine’s energy efficiency.
More:
www.ge.com/reports/call-ecomagination-ge-building-co2-powered-turbine-generates-10-megawatts-fits-table/
The linked-to article puts it in better perspective. This isn't a CO2 capture or sequestration technology. It aims to make coal-fired power plants more efficient, in theory so they'll burn less coal and release less CO2.
ReplyDeleteWell, ANY heat source will work, provided it is high enough in temperature. The superheated CO2 simply spins the turbine more efficiently than steam.
DeleteDoes this guy have an office on Main St., or is this photo totally faked?
ReplyDeleteGood eye, 8:37!
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