8 THE NEXT STEP Currently, GTI Energy, SwRI, and GE Vernova are reconfiguring the STEP Demo pilot from a simple cycle to a Recompression Closed Brayton Cycle (RCBC) system configuration. This advancement will allow the installation to reach higher efficiencies for the overall loop by including the LTR. In this second phase that is taking place this year, the project will further increase the operating temperature to 715°C, raise the output to the full 10 MWe net, and increase net plant efficiency. The project is hailed as a success story having generated electricity and is operating as expected. With a design rating of 10 MWe net, STEP Demo is the largest such facility to be operational in the world. Having proven its ability to meet initial performance targets, including its full operational turbine speed of 27,000 rpm and achievement of the initial target turbine inlet temperature of 500°C, the STEP Demo project marks a critical shift in the technology’s development and puts it on a firm footing for future commercialisation. It might even be said that STEP is a supercritical breakthrough for energy. Find out how Parker is enabling sCO₂ projects.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQ4NTgyMQ==