Great energy conservation potential has been found in engine waste heat recovery, and CO2 transcritical power cycle (CTPC) driven by internal combustion engines has been recognized a promising technological path. Traditional recuperative configuration leads to an increase in thermal efficiency but also has an impact on engine exhaust utilization. Hence, based on the CTPC layout with a recuperator, a splitting design is proposed with an additional heater to reduce the irreversibility from the engine exhaust. Experimental investigation was conducted to reveal the splitting performances compared with the basic recuperative layout. Results showed that the predicted net generated power could be increased by 54.8% from 5.4 kW to 8.4 kW in maximum. The engine exhaust utilization could be improved with a lower exhaust outlet temperature. It should also be noted that the thermal efficiency was also improved by 47.5% compared with the baseline although a higher heat absorption was found in the splitting layout.     «

Great energy conservation potential has been found in engine waste heat recovery, and CO2 transcritical power cycle (CTPC) driven by internal combustion engines has been recognized a promising technological path. Traditional recuperative configuration leads to an increase in thermal efficiency but also has an impact on engine exhaust utilization. Hence, based on the CTPC layout with a recuperator, a splitting design is proposed with an additional heater to reduce the irreversibility from the eng...     »