(Press-News.org) SAN ANTONIO — October 27,2023 —Southwest Research Institute (SwRI®), GTI Energy, GE Vernova (GE) and the U.S. Department of Energy celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) Demo pilot plant today. The $155 million, 10-megawatt supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) test facility at SwRI’s headquarters in San Antonio will demonstrate an innovative new method of higher-efficiency, lower-cost electric power generation.
“STEP will undoubtedly change the way we think about power generation,” said SwRI President and CEO Adam Hamilton, P.E. “It’s exciting to officially launch this pilot plant, which is home to potentially revolutionary technology developed right here at SwRI.”
“We are excited to collaborate with our partners through the STEP Demo pilot project to showcase the benefits of supercritical carbon dioxide technology for power production,” said Dr. Paula A. Gant, President and CEO, GTI Energy. “This innovation is set to deliver cost-effective, highly efficient, and transformative benefits.”
Unlike conventional power plants, which use water as the thermal medium in power cycles, STEP is designed to use high-temperature sCO2, which increases efficiency by as much as 10% due to its favorable thermodynamic properties. Carbon dioxide is nontoxic and nonflammable, and when CO2 is held above a critical temperature and pressure, it can act like a gas while having the density near that of a liquid. The sCO2 power cycle technology is also compatible with concentrated solar power and industrial waste heat.
“STEP Demo represents a shift toward more sustainable and efficient power generation, which has only been possible because of the ingenuity of the remarkable team that has supported this project at every stage,” said Dr. Tim Allison, director of SwRI’s Machinery Department.
One advantage to using sCO2 as a working fluid is that STEP Demo’s turbomachinery is approximately one-tenth the size of conventional power plant components, making it possible to shrink the footprint and construction cost of any new facilities. For example, STEP Demo’s desk-sized sCO2 turbine could power up to 10,000 homes.
SwRI, GTI Energy, and GE broke ground on the STEP Demo site on October 15, 2018, and building construction was completed in 2020. The pilot plant achieved its first operation of its compressor with CO2 at supercritical fluid conditions earlier this year. Commissioning of the facility will continue through early next year.
The STEP Demo pilot plant is one of the largest demonstration facilities in the world for sCO2 technology. The project’s central goal is to dramatically improve the efficiency, economics, operational flexibility, space requirements and environmental performance of this new technology. SwRI, GTI Energy, and GE collaborated on the design of the plant, which is specially conceived to evolve over time to keep pace with industry advancements. The facility’s skid-mounted components provide flexibility and a unique, reconfigurable design.
SwRI is an industry leader in the development of sCO2 power cycles. Staff members have conducted numerous U.S. Department of Energy projects advancing the efficiency, reliability and commercial readiness of sCO2 power cycle turbomachinery, heat exchangers, cycles and systems. The team brings extensive experience with sCO2 technology and the key building blocks to make the STEP Demo project a success and a landmark demonstration.
For more information, visit https://step.swri.org.
END
SwRI, GTI Energy, GE celebrate mechanical completion of $155 million supercritical CO2 pilot plant
Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) Demo pilot plant will use sCO2 power cycle to increase efficiency, lower costs and decrease environmental footprint
2023-10-27
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Innovative research aims to improve wound healing and cancer therapy
2023-10-27
Jun.-Prof. Dr. Priscilla Briquez, junior professor at the Department of General and Visceral Surgery at the Freiburg University Medical Center and member of the Medical Faculty at the University of Freiburg, has received a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant from the European Commission. Her DRESSCODE project will receive a total of 1.5 million euros funding for five years. The project focuses on modifying proteins and developing new disease therapies.
“This support is a major opportunity for me to put together my own team and drive forward my research,” says Briquez. The focus ...
Action plan for better data on migration and health
2023-10-27
Despite rising global mobility, the state of migrant and refugee health data in European health systems is a concern, a new study shows. The analysis by an international coalition of universities, UN organizations, government representatives, and European institutions published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health Europe reveals that coverage of migrant and refugee data remains inconsistent and of suboptimal quality. According to the study this issue is not due to a lack of knowledge or technological resources ...
FDA approves muscular dystrophy drug built on Children’s National research
2023-10-27
WASHINGTON (October 27, 2023) – Boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) have a clinically proven, new treatment option with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval Thursday of vamorolone, a steroidal-type, anti-inflammatory drug developed based on research performed at Children’s National Hospital.
Created by ReveraGen BioPharma Inc., vamorolone has a molecular structure similar to traditional corticosteroids, which are currently used to treat DMD. Yet its structure was found to be chemically different enough to reduce unwanted side effects, including brittle bones and reduced stature. Nearly two decades ago, ReveraGen leaders – President and ...
Electrodes with hollow nanotubes improve performance of potassium-ion batteries
2023-10-27
Researchers who are working to find alternatives to lithium-ion batteries have turned their attention to potassium-ion batteries. Potassium is an abundant resource and the technology functions in much the same way as lithium-ion batteries, but these batteries have not been developed at a large scale because the ionic radius causes problems in energy storage and substandard electrochemical performance.
To solve this problem, researchers are considering NiCo2Se4, a bimetallic selenide, to create sphere-shaped electrodes. The spheres are constructed with NiCo2Se4 nanotubes, which improve ...
USDA grant will help MU researchers address opioid epidemic in rural Missouri
2023-10-27
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Childhood trauma is a key risk factor for future substance use disorder, overdose, and suicide. This is particularly problematic in rural areas where children experience higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are commonly defined as physical and emotional abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, parental separation or divorce, intimate partner violence, and having household members with serious mental illness, substance use disorder, or a history of incarceration.
Now, a three-year, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant awarded to the University of Missouri will help virtually train various members of the workforce — ...
UiB researchers solve protein mystery
2023-10-27
Proteins are key to all processes in our cells and understanding their functions and regulation is of major importance.
“For many years, we have known that nearly all human proteins are modified by a specific chemical group, but its functional impact has remained undefined”, says professor Thomas Arnesen at the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen.
He explains:
“One of the most common protein modifications in human cells is N-terminal acetylation, which is an addition of a small chemical group (acetyl) at the starting tip (N-terminus) of a protein. The ...
Protein root discovery seals future of climate proof plants
2023-10-27
Researchers have discovered a protein that seals plant roots to regulate the uptake of nutrients and water from the soil, the discovery could help develop climate proof crops that require less water and chemical fertilizers.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham identified new components of the lignin barrier in plant roots and the specific function of dirigent proteins (DPs), located in the root endodermis that control water and nutrient uptake. Their findings have been published today in Science Direct.
Plant roots function by absorbing ...
A relational framework for microbiome research that includes Indigenous communities
2023-10-27
Research on the trillions of microorganisms that make up a person’s microbiome can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes. According to Alyssa Bader, a Tsimshian Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at McGill University, microbiome samples from Indigenous communities have the potential to further Western medicine, but those same communities often have been excluded from the research process and may miss out on the benefits that result from their contributions to science. ...
City of Hope part of successful international Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating sotorasib medication combination for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer
2023-10-27
LOS ANGELES — An international Phase 3 clinical trial found that metastatic colorectal cancer patients with a rare genetic tumor mutation called KRAS G12C experienced superior progression-free survival rates compared to standard of care when offered a combination treatment of KRAS inhibitor sotorasib and monoclonal antibody panitumumab. City of Hope, one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the United States, was a participating site and a City of Hope researcher is the lead author of the The New England Journal of Medicine study published this week.
Standard ...
Team synthesizes a new polyoxometalate-based metal-organic complex
2023-10-27
A research team has synthesized a new polyoxometalate-based metal-organic complex that they then tested as a catalyst for the oxidation reactions of various sulfides. They found that the complex possesses excellent catalytic performance, good reusability, and structural stability.
The team’s work is published in the journal Polyoxometalates on October 19, 2023.
Scientists in many fields have explored the selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides. Sulfoxides are organic compounds that contain sulfur and oxygen. These sulfoxides are high value-added chemicals in pharmaceuticals, agrochemistry, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Radiopharmaceutical therapy offers promise for people with tough-to-treat meningioma brain tumors
American Academy of Pediatrics promotes shared reading starting in infancy as a positive parenting practice with lifelong benefits
Unexpected human behaviour revealed in prisoner's dilemma study: Choosing cooperation even after defection
Distant relatedness in biobanks harnessed to identify undiagnosed genetic disease
UCLA at ASTRO: Predicting response to chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer, 2-year outcomes of MRI-guided radiotherapy for prostate cancer, impact of symptom self-reporting during chemoradiation and mor
Estimated long-term benefits of finerenone in heart failure
MD Anderson launches first-ever academic journal: Advances in Cancer Education & Quality Improvement
Penn Medicine at the 2024 ASTRO Annual Meeting
Head and neck, meningioma research highlights of University of Cincinnati ASTRO abstracts
Center for BrainHealth receives $2 million match gift from Adm. William McRaven (ret.), recipient of Courage & Civility Award
Circadian disruption, gut microbiome changes linked to colorectal cancer progression
Grant helps UT develop support tool for extreme weather events
Autonomous vehicles can be imperfect — As long as they’re resilient
Asteroid Ceres is a former ocean world that slowly formed into a giant, murky icy orb
McMaster researchers discover what hinders DNA repair in patients with Huntington’s Disease
Estrogens play a hidden role in cancers, inhibiting a key immune cell
A new birthplace for asteroid Ryugu
How are pronouns processed in the memory-region of our brain?
Researchers synthesize high-energy-density cubic gauche nitrogen at atmospheric pressure
Ancient sunken seafloor reveals earth’s deep secrets
Automatic speech recognition learned to understand people with Parkinson’s disease — by listening to them
Addressing global water security challenges: New study reveals investment opportunities and readiness levels
Commonly used drug could transform treatment of rare muscle disorder
Michael Frumovitz, M.D., posthumously honored with Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence
NIH grant supports research to discover better treatments for heart failure
Clinical cancer research in the US is increasingly dominated by pharmaceutical industry sponsors, study finds
Discovery of 3,775-year-old preserved log supports ‘wood vaulting’ as a climate solution
Preterm births are on the rise, with ongoing racial and economic gaps
Menopausal hormone therapy use among postmenopausal women
Breaking the chain of intergenerational violence
[Press-News.org] SwRI, GTI Energy, GE celebrate mechanical completion of $155 million supercritical CO2 pilot plantSupercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) Demo pilot plant will use sCO2 power cycle to increase efficiency, lower costs and decrease environmental footprint