World’s First
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) have developed a next-generation emission-free steam generating technology using fuel waste for the first time in the world.
Hyundai Heavy Industries said on November 1 that it received an approval in principle (AiP) from UK-based Lloyd’s Register (LR) for 2-megawatt (MW) supercritical carbon dioxide (S-CO2) turbine.
The new S-CO2 power generating technology drives a turbine by heating CO2, which can reach a supercritical state at a lower temperature than natural gas or steam. S-CO2 is a special state of CO2 achieved by holding the compound above its critical pressure and temperature, where it takes on both liquid and gaseous properties. The system can use exhaust gases from onshore facilities and engines of large ships as heat sources.
In particular, the S-CO2 power conversion technology boosts efficiency by 30 percent and minimizes size of a turbine by a third, compared to existing gas or steam turbines.
In addition, the technology can use various energy sources, including renewable energy and nuclear energy as well as waste heat from onshore engine power plants, and can be applied to GW-class large-scale power plants. Accordingly, it is considered a next-generation power generating technology. The S-CO2 power generator market is expected to grow to 14 trillion won (US$12.26 billion) by 2023, and global leading firms abroad, such as the United States and Japan, are competitively seeking to commercialize the technology.
With the latest international credential, the two companies have proved its ability to design and produce S-CO2 power generators based on its own technology. They plan to start performance and demonstration tests on the S-CO2 power generators from next year and commercialize the products by 2019.
With this, Hyundai Heavy Industries and KEPCO will jointly tap into the power generating market using energy sources from engine power plants, waste heat and large ships, and push forward a new business reusing waste heat.