Authors: W. A. Schreüder, J. P. Du Plessis
Year: 2025
Industry: SCO2
Keywords: Use FSE, Dynamic
ABSTRACT
An axial flow fan has been designed for the air-cooled heat exchanger (ACHE) of a concentrated solar power plant, based on a supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton cycle. This paper presents a high-fidelity co-simulation method, which simultaneously solves the air- and sCO2 side flows through the ACHE and fan. The air-side flow is modelled using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics, while the sCO2 flow is solved using a one-dimensional thermofluid network model. The co-simulation is used to determine the thermal performance of the ACHE and to investigate the effects of non-uniform air flows on the behavior of the sCO2 in the tube bundle.