The History of sCO2 Cycles

The first publications focused on the use of CO2 as the working fluid in power cycles appeared in the late 1970s and early 1980s. One of the most significant and often cited works is V. Dostal’s dissertation “A Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cycle for Next Generation Nuclear Reactors”. These first papers not only highlighted the advantages of using CO2, but also the problems, challenges, and complexity involved in designing such systems. The key issues that have been, and continue to be, challenging are related to heat transfer, the lack of corrosion resistance data for structural materials, as well as the development of components such as dry gas seals. As these issues were clarified and overcome, the first experimental devices began to appear worldwide. Since 2007, regular conferences, focused solely on sCO2 cycles, have been held in the United States. These conferences take place every two years, and their popularity is consistently on the rise. Similarly, the European sCO2 symposium has been held since 2016. Furthermore, the topic of sCO2 cycles is also beginning to appear at other global conferences.