Compared to the current state of the art, power cycles based on supercritical CO₂ (sCO₂) offer the potential for significant increases in power density and efficiency and are thus seen as a promising element for a more sustainable and flexible heat utilization in the future. There is a particular need for experimental work in order to bring this technology to market maturity. For instance, it is necessary to validate theoretical approaches and to test and develop components.

As part of the supercritical carbon dioxide laboratory (suCOOLab), a test facility was set up at TU Dresden. The aim is to provide a flexibly usable and expandable test infrastructure for basic research, validation work, as well as small-scale component tests and development.

Key components of the system are an electric heater, two compressors and a powerful cooling system. Temperatures up to 300 °C and pressures up to 20 MPa allow covering of a wide range of parameters in the trans- and supercritical fluid region of CO₂. The integration of a capable measurement and data acquisition system ensures the continuous availability of measurement data at all relevant points in the rig. Experimental setups can be flexibly integrated into the process at various locations, which additionally allows the simultaneous use of different parameter ranges in one or more experimental setups. Furthermore, special care was taken within the selection of the components itself. All parts, including the compressors, are designed for a lubricant free operation ensuring high fluid purities. This is beneficial for experiments with pure CO₂ and also enables investigations of CO₂-mixtures.

This paper describes the design and the current status of the suCOO-Lab test facility at TU Dresden. Special emphasis is placed on the targeted parameter range, characteristic design aspects of the rig, and on the capabilities of measurement and data acquisition.