July 31, 2024
CiTECH were proud to participate in the ASME Turbo EXPO 2024. Mr. Aramis Cook, a Senior Process Design Engineer at CiTECH UK was a panellist for the “sCO2 Primary Heat Exchanger Panel”. One of the main topics for discussion are the design limitations and manufacturing hurdles of the current market offering of Supercritical CO2 (sCO2) primary heaters. With the CiBAS product, the major limitations of vibration and thermal expansion can be removed. This is achieved by the novel hanging tube support of the CiBAS Waste Heat Recovery Unit (WHRU).
One of the main questions from the audience was “what is the limitation from these units being commercially viable?”. The answer to this is the material selection because the desire to use high temperature and pressure sCO2 cycles can lead to some exotic material choices. By limiting the design temperature to be less than 400°C a more economical material choice can be made. Additionally, by selecting a lower design pressure the schedule of the pipe can be reduced. This reduces the wall thickness and as less material is used the unit becomes lighter and more economical. Besides the cost of the exotic materials, the lead time is also increased, often delaying project start dates.
Aramis holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Hull. As a Senior Process Design Engineer at CiTECH UK, Aramis has been with the company since 2019. His primary focus lies in the design of Waste Heat Recovery Units (WHRU) and Once Through Steam Generators (OTSG) for gas engines/turbines as well as other exhaust gas sources, tailored for the oil and gas, and power generation, as well as ORC and steam generation markets. Each application goes through a thorough investigation of materials, process parameters and design conditions to ensure the most optimal solution is attained, balancing size, weight, cost and performance.
Aramis was accompanied by Mr. Barry Wollaston a Sales and Proposals Engineer. He was greatly interested in the panel discussion on gas turbine exhaust recycling. A novel concept which will impact the design and exhaust conditions to the WHRU/OTSG. CiTECH were graciously hosted by Heatric (Parker) and undoubtedly found the event to be successful for networking. We look forward to meeting you at the next event.
If you are interested in Aramis’ presentation, find it here, also to find out more about supercritical CO2 take a look here.
