Request for Information: Development platforms needed to expedite the commercialization of sCO2 power conversion cycles

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Contract Opportunity

Title: Request for Information: Development platforms needed to expedite the commercialization of sCO2 power conversion cycles.

Background Information: National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC (NTESS), sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), has made substantial contributions over the last decade to the development of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) Brayton power cycles. Supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycles provide industry value through increased efficiency and a smaller overall system footprint compared to industry standard steam-based power conversion cycles.

Recognizing the potential advantages of greater efficiency in power cycles, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) developed a laboratory-scale test assembly to establish the viability of the underlying science and demonstrate system performance. To date SNL has designed and developed sCO2 Brayton power cycles up to 1 MWth, generated over 100 kWh of energy, verified cycle performance, and developed cycle controls and maintenance procedures. The test assembly has successfully operated in different configurations (simple Brayton, waste heat cycle, and recompression) and tested additives to the sCO2 working fluid. Challenges remain to (1) confirm viability of existing components and suitability of materials, (2) demonstrate theoretical efficiencies are achievable, and (3) integrate and scale up existing technologies to be suitable for a range of commercial applications.

As of June 2025, SNL facilities include sCO2 Brayton cycle experimental platforms dedicated to:

• heat exchangers


• bearings


• seals


• pressure fatigue


• thermal fatigue


• turbomachinery


• power cycle


• power electronics

Opportunity Description: The Brayton team at SNL has expertise and capabilities from the development of sCO2 recuperated closed Brayton cycle (RCBC) systems up to 1 MWth which can be leveraged to enable U.S. manufacturers in development of marketable system components.

Information Sought: NTESS is seeking information from the U.S. sCO2 power cycle industry for recommendations on what sCO2 component development, test rigs and/or facilities are needed to expedite the commercialization of sCO2 technology.

Instructions to Responders: Responses are anticipated to be brief (up to 5 pages). The following information is being requested:

1. Description of the technical problem and proposed solution.


2. The need for Sandia National Laboratories’ expertise and resources to solve the technical problem.


3. Description of the relevant experience, expertise, and capabilities of the interested party.


4. Description of any experience partnering with Research and Development organizations such as Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), Universities, National Laboratories, or Government Laboratories.

Interested parties may provide additional relevant information as needed. More detailed information may be requested during the review process.

Evaluation Criteria: RFI is seeking information only; responses will not be evaluated.

Desired Requirements: Interested parties are invited to respond to this request for information. Any and all responses are voluntary, and Sandia will not pay for any information submitted in response acbarel@sandia.gov by February 27, 2026. Responses should include the Request for to this request for information. Responses should be emailed to Amanda Barela at Information title and the submitting organization’s name in the subject line. Any attachments should not exceed 5MB; only document formats with a .docx, .doc, or .pdf suffix can be accepted. Questions may be submitted to the same email.

Primary Point of Contact:

Amanda C. Barela

Sandia National Laboratories

acbarel@sandia.gov

Keywords:

STEP Program; Brayton Cycle; Supercritical sCO2 Recuperated Closed Brayton Cycle; power conversion; sCO2 power conversion

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