“When the DOE started looking for ways to address the challenges of s-CO2 in concentrated solar power plants, we knew we could provide some answers.”
James F. Walton, VP of Program Development
Under funding from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), and in partnership with Velo3D, MiTi® has developed an oil-free compressor for use in concentrated solar power plants, featuring a novel 3D-printed compressor housing.
Concentrated solar power systems use mirrors to focus solar energy onto a single point where it’s collected and converted into thermal energy used to produce electricity, usually with steam turbines. This has proven to be relatively expensive compared to other power generation methods. A system which uses supercritical CO2 rather than steam has the potential to produce far more power, reducing the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity, but also presents unique challenges. One such challenge is that the CO2 can react with the oil in the system to cause corrosion, and the use of MiTi®‘s industry-leading oil-free bearings in the system obviates that damage.