Design, multi-code certification, and component-level factory acceptance testing of a 2-MWe supercritical CO2 waste heat recovery power system: A case study

This study presents the system-level engineering implementation and component-level Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) of a 2-MWe-class supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO 2 ) waste heat recovery (WHR) power system. A partial heating cycle was adopted for a multi-MW gas-engine exhaust stream, and the compander, heat exchangers, and process skid were designed and fabricated for high-pressure CO 2 operation. Because dedicated sCO 2 -specific industrial design codes are not yet established, a multi-code certification strategy was developed by combining PED, ASME, API, and KGS requirements, while HAZOP-based safety engineering was incorporated into the final system design. The FAT confirmed the fabrication quality, pressure integrity, mechanical integrity, leak-test acceptance, and code compliance of the major equipment and process skid prior to field installation. The compressor was additionally verified through a component-level high-pressure closed-loop CO 2 test at a representative subcritical inlet condition of 28 °C and 8 MPa. This condition lies near the vapor dome, close to the critical point, and the test confirmed that a staged start-up strategy enables stable compressor operation in this near-critical region. The turbine was mechanically verified through an API 617 mechanical run test, and the heat exchangers and process skid satisfied hydrostatic pressure testing, leak testing, non-destructive examination, and structural verification requirements. The results document a practical certification-to-FAT engineering pathway for preparing an MW-scale sCO 2 WHR system for installation and subsequent commissioning. This work should be interpreted as FAT-stage engineering verification rather than integrated system performance validation; net power generation, cycle efficiency, heat recovery performance, turbine aerodynamic performance, and long-term reliability remain to be evaluated during future Site Acceptance Testing (SAT), integrated commissioning, and field operation.