University of Wisconsin – Madison

Experimental Investigation of
Critical Flow of Supercritical Carbon
Dioxide
Mark Anderson
Guiliume Mignot
Michael Corradini

4/21/2009
Supercritical CO2 Power Cycle Symposium
 SCCO2 Depressurization Facility

Heaters and
Liquid CO2 insulation
filling Pressure
cylinder transducer
Tc Tc

Data acquisition
system

Dynamic Scale
Volume : 0.123 m3 Controlled with LABview DAQ system:
Vessel Diameter: 0.26 m -Records stagnation temperature and pressure
Nozzle Diameter (Max.): 0.0127 m -Records scale output
Maximum density : 650 kg.m-3 -Records vessel wall and nozzle temperature
Maximum Pressure: 32 MPa @ 25ºC -Triggers start of blowdown
20 MPa @ 500ºC -Triggers shadowgraphy movie recording
Empty Vessel Mass: 712 kg -Controls heating of the vessel
Thermocouple and DAQ system have been calibrated using a calibrated Resistance Temperature
Detector (RTD)

4/21/2009 2
 Depressurization Facility

Range Resolution Uncertainty

Scale 800 kg 5g ± 0.072 kg
Pressure transducer 5000 psi 0.15 psi ± 6 psi
Thermocouple “E-type” -200 to 300°C 0.0046 °C ± 0.3°C
Thermocouple “K-type” -200 to- 300°C 0.0056°C ± 0.3°C Ttop-front
Pressure
Tin 1
Nozzle
T
1

d
0

a
"
-

r
/

Tjet
Tin 2

Tbottom-front

Pneumatic Actuator Dynamic Scale

Optical Table

Two different designs have been used:

-Long Tubes (L/D >40) with external opening system
-Short Nozzles (L/D <40) with internal opening system
4/21/2009 3
 Opening Systems

External Opening Internal Opening

Pneumatic
Support Ring Internal
Cylinder Sealing Plug
Rotating Plug

Nozzle

Guiding Tube
Test Tube

•Opening time ( ≅ 100 ms)
•Ability to open and close during depressurization
•Long tubes only
•Interaction with plug at opening Æ dead time
Sliding Shaft
•“Clean” and fast opening ( ≅ 16 ms)
•One time depressurization
•Short nozzles and long tubes

4/21/2009 4
 Blowdown Facility Description (Pictures)
Compressed air actuated piston to
Tin 1 initiate blowdown

Pressure
Transducer

Tnozzle

View of the opening systems

Optical Table
Fast Cam Collimating
Lenses Light source

•Shadowgraphy set up using a fast frame camera

to observe the shocks structure at the exit of the
nozzles
•Some tests were conducted with a target plate
located in front of the jet to measure the reaction
force
4/21/2009 5
 Supercritical fluid depressurization

Tin 1

Pressure
Transducer

Tnozzle

Optical Table
Fast Cam Collimating
Light source
Lenses

4/21/2009 6
 Supercritical CO2 Depressurization
Carbon Dioxide
800
MIT cycle conditions 20 MPa
Higher operating temperature
700 UW test conditions
650 C
Higher thermal efficiency
-3
600 ρ=109 kg.m
527 C
500 481 C Single Phase

400 Simplified Power Cycle

UW-design limit
T [C]
300
Fluid Operating Temperature [C] Operating Pressure [bar]
He 30-900 25-80
7.7 MPa
200 CO2 32-650 75-200
-3
ρ=604 kg.m H2O 350-500 220-250
100 61 C

71 C Fluid Critical Temperature [C] Critical Pressure [bar]

0 32 C He -267.955 2.275
CO2 30.95 73.77
s [kJ/kg-K]
-100 H2O 373.95 220.6

-2.0 -1.8 -1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6

4/21/2009 7
 Supercritical CO2 Cycle (2) -
Compressibility

1.1
MIT advanced design D
E
Ideal gas
1.0 7.7 MPa
C
0.9
800

0.8
B D
z=P/ρRT [-]

600
0.7
E C
0.6 400
T [C]
0.5
200

0.4 F
F
Liquid

0
B
0.3 A
s [kJ/kg-K]
20 MPa
0.2 A -2.0 -1.5 -1.0 -0.5 0.0 0.5

0.1
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700
T [C]

4/21/2009 8
 Depressurization Paths

CO2 Behavior Map Diagram

100 20 MPa 7.7 MPa

S > Sc Single phase

REGION I
S > Sc Two-phase
Temperature [ºC]

50 S < Sc Two-phase REGION II

REGION III •Different physical behaviors expected
depending on the initial conditions:
single phase, two-phase
0 •Possibility of reaching triple point
condition
•Two different L/D ratios - >40, <40
-50
Triple point ( 5.18 bars ; -56.558ºC)

-2.4 -2.2 -2.0 -1.8 -1.6 -1.4 -1.2 -1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4
-1 -1
Entropy [kJ.kg.K ]

4/21/2009 9
 Test Matrix

Experimental Conditions For Long Tubes - Internal Opening

Initial
Mass[kg] P[Pa] P[Psi] T[ºC] L/D Effect Observed
D, Roughness,
20-80 1.01E+07 1470 37-130 48-106-168 Entrance Geometry

Experimental Conditions For Short Tubes

L/D Constant D
Initial L/D Constant L D = 12.7mm
Mass[kg] P[Pa] P[Psi] T[ºC] L=46.6 mm D = 3.18mm
3.7 - 7.3 - 14.7
14.7 - 26 – 50 -
82.55 9.24E+06 1340 34 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 106
3.7 - 7.3 - 14.7
14.7 - 26 – 50 -
31.64 9.58E+06 1390 61.6 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 106
3.7 - 7.3 - 14.7
14.89 9.80E+06 1422 186.3 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 14.7 - 26 – 50
87.5 1.96E+07 2840 60 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 -
41.72 1.95E+07 2830 140.2 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 -
25.15 1.92E+07 2779 261.3 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 -
87.5 2.41E+07 3500 71.5 3.7 – 7.3 – 14.7 -
4/21/2009 10
 Results: Experimental Data for Long Tubes

Diameter: 2mm Operating Pressure: 10.1 MPa

0.11
Smooth Entrance Quartz
Critical Mass Flow rate [kg.s .m ]
-2

0.10
-1

0.09

Smooth Entrance Steel

0.08

0.07

0.06
Sharp Entrance Steel
0.05
30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Initial Stagnation Temperature T0 [C]

4/21/2009 11
 Results: Experimental Data for
Long Tubes
Operating Pressure: 10.1 MPa

•Good repeatability
•Roughness effect
•Diameter effect

4/21/2009 12
 Results for long tubes:
Comparison with HEM
Operating Pressure: 10.1 MPa
0.20
- rough (steel)
0.19 1.0
- smooth (quartz)
0.18 - calc. quality (rough)
0.17 - calc. quality (smooth)
0.9
Critical Mass Flow Rate [kg.s ]
-1

0.16
Quality
0.15
0.14 0.8

0.13

Quality[-]
0.12
Calculated-isentropic 0.7
0.11
0.10 0.6
0.09
Experiment
0.08
0.5
0.07
0.06
0.05 0.4
Calculated-friction
0.04
40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Initial Stagnation Temperature T0 [C]

4/21/2009 13
 Long Tubes : Summary

• NO significant difference between the 3 regions

• Roughness and sharp entrance geometry affect
the flow as expected
• NO L/D effect observed for L/D >48
• Homogeneous equilibrium model predict the
Critical mass flux within less than 10%

4/21/2009 14
 Results: Short Tubes –
High Pressure >19MPa

4/21/2009 15
 Results: Short Tubes P=9.8MPa T=186ºC-Region I

18000

17000
Critical Mass Flux [kg.m .s ]
-1
-2

16000

15000

ID = 12.7mm
14000 ID = 6.35mm
ID = 3.18mm

13000

10 100
L/D [-]

4/21/2009 16
 Short nozzle

4/21/2009 17
 Pressure Profile –Short Tube

Vena contracta
P0 = 19.2Ma effect
T0= 260 C

L/D=3.7

Pressure profile in the tube Example of simulated shock

4/21/2009 18
 Short Tube: Summary

• Significant difference between the 3 regions

• Mass flux constant:
• 0<L/D<14.7 around 10 MPa
• 0<L/D<7.4 around 20 MPa
• The vena contracta is the limiting factor for the
critical flow for short L/D
• Multiple Internal Shock are expected
• HEM model with no friction is off 100% in Region
III and 40 % in Region I and II

4/21/2009 19