Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) sees heightened heat transfer characteristics near its critical point due to its drastically changing thermophysical properties. Conventional single phase heat transfer theory was not developed to capture this nonlinear variation in properties and cannot predict the heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 to a practical level useful for design. To delve deeper into the behavior near the critical point and shed light on this crucial phenomenon, a state-of-the-art closed flow loop was developed. This setup enabled convective heat transfer experiments of sCO2 under diverse boundary conditions and test section geometries. Key components of the loop include the test section, constant temperature bath, pump, flow meter, and pre-heater, all designed and rigorously validated to ensure precise experimental conditions within this research. The loop was validated from previous work whose experimental parameters and test section dimensions were matched establishing a solid foundation for reliable and consistent results. The experimental results were then analyzed and compared with available correlations and models in the literature. The findings of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of convective heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 near its critical point and give valuable insights for the design and optimization of cutting-edge energy systems based on sCO2, further driving the frontiers of sustainable energy technology.
","abstract_html":"<p>Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) sees heightened heat transfer characteristics near its critical point due to its drastically changing thermophysical properties. Conventional single phase heat transfer theory was not developed to capture this nonlinear variation in properties and cannot predict the heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 to a practical level useful for design. To delve deeper into the behavior near the critical point and shed light on this crucial phenomenon, a state-of-the-art closed flow loop was developed. This setup enabled convective heat transfer experiments of sCO2 under diverse boundary conditions and test section geometries. Key components of the loop include the test section, constant temperature bath, pump, flow meter, and pre-heater, all designed and rigorously validated to ensure precise experimental conditions within this research. The loop was validated from previous work whose experimental parameters and test section dimensions were matched establishing a solid foundation for reliable and consistent results. The experimental results were then analyzed and compared with available correlations and models in the literature. The findings of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of convective heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 near its critical point and give valuable insights for the design and optimization of cutting-edge energy systems based on sCO2, further driving the frontiers of sustainable energy technology.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sauerbrun, Joseph"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering","degree_level":"Thesis - Open Access","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-10-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-10-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:52Z","subjects":["Supercritical Fluids","Heat Transfer","Experimental Flow Loop","Heat Transfer Coefficients","Supercritical Carbon Dioxide","Energy Systems","Heat Transfer, Combustion"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.erau.edu/edt/777","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Sauerbrun, Joseph"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - Open Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Supercritical Fluids","Heat Transfer","Experimental Flow Loop","Heat Transfer Coefficients","Supercritical Carbon Dioxide","Energy Systems","Heat Transfer, Combustion"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/777"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) sees heightened heat transfer characteristics near its critical point due to its drastically changing thermophysical properties. Conventional single phase heat transfer theory was not developed to capture this nonlinear variation in properties and cannot predict the heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 to a practical level useful for design. To delve deeper into the behavior near the critical point and shed light on this crucial phenomenon, a state-of-the-art closed flow loop was developed. This setup enabled convective heat transfer experiments of sCO2 under diverse boundary conditions and test section geometries. Key components of the loop include the test section, constant temperature bath, pump, flow meter, and pre-heater, all designed and rigorously validated to ensure precise experimental conditions within this research. The loop was validated from previous work whose experimental parameters and test section dimensions were matched establishing a solid foundation for reliable and consistent results. The experimental results were then analyzed and compared with available correlations and models in the literature. The findings of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of convective heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 near its critical point and give valuable insights for the design and optimization of cutting-edge energy systems based on sCO2, further driving the frontiers of sustainable energy technology.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Design and Characterization of a High pressure Flow Loop for Heat Transfer Experiments of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Sauerbrun, Joseph"],"dc:description.abstract":["Supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) sees heightened heat transfer characteristics near its critical point due to its drastically changing thermophysical properties. Conventional single phase heat transfer theory was not developed to capture this nonlinear variation in properties and cannot predict the heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 to a practical level useful for design. To delve deeper into the behavior near the critical point and shed light on this crucial phenomenon, a state-of-the-art closed flow loop was developed. This setup enabled convective heat transfer experiments of sCO2 under diverse boundary conditions and test section geometries. Key components of the loop include the test section, constant temperature bath, pump, flow meter, and pre-heater, all designed and rigorously validated to ensure precise experimental conditions within this research. The loop was validated from previous work whose experimental parameters and test section dimensions were matched establishing a solid foundation for reliable and consistent results. The experimental results were then analyzed and compared with available correlations and models in the literature. The findings of this thesis contribute to a better understanding of convective heat transfer characteristics of sCO2 near its critical point and give valuable insights for the design and optimization of cutting-edge energy systems based on sCO2, further driving the frontiers of sustainable energy technology.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.erau.edu/edt/777"],"dc:subject":["Supercritical Fluids","Heat Transfer","Experimental Flow Loop","Heat Transfer Coefficients","Supercritical Carbon Dioxide","Energy Systems","Heat Transfer, Combustion"],"dc:title":["Design and Characterization of a High pressure Flow Loop for Heat Transfer Experiments of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - Open Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T19:25:52Z"}