The game-changing supercritical, transformational electric power pilot plant at SWRI will demonstrate the future of energy, a more efficient and cost-effective method of producing power.

What is supercritical carbon dioxide and what makes it a better way to power up?

That's next on this episode of Technology Today.

We live with technology, science, engineering, and the results of innovative research every day.

Now, let's understand it better. You're listening to the Technology Today podcast presented by Southwest Research Institute.

Hello and welcome to technology today.

I'm Lisa Benia.

Our guest today are SWRI engineers Dr. Tim Allison and Dr. Aaron McClung.

They're talking about the $112 million 10 megawatt supercritical transformational electric power

pilot plant or step pilot plant at SWRI.

The plant will demonstrate supercritical carbon dioxide technology, which promises lower

cost, lower emissions, electricity.

Thank you for joining us today, Tim and Aaron.

Good morning.

Thank you.

I think a key word in the name of the step pilot plant is transformational. So how will supercritical carbon dioxide potentially transform how we get our power.

What would you say is the big picture potential of this technology?

So I'll take a first stab and then let Aaron chime in.

I think fundamentally the biggest difference with supercritical CO2 power cycles is that we're replacing steam or air,

which typically is used as a working fluid in power cycles, with high pressure CO2.

And that's fundamentally different in the way that the machinery and the heat exchangers

will be designed.

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