Low cost and higher efficiency power plant

A power plant comprising:

• a closed loop, carbon dioxide-based system (CO2 system) including, according to flow sequence within the CO2 system:
• a turbine-generator arranged to receive as an input a portion of a flow of supercritical carbon dioxide and discharge an output that is subcritical or supercritical,
• at least one secondary turbine arranged to receive as an input a remaining portion of the flow of carbon dioxide,
• a high temperature recuperator (HTR) arranged to receive as a first input expanded subcritical or supercritical carbon dioxide from the turbine-generator and the at least one secondary turbine, the HTR including a plurality of heat exchangers that define respective heat exchange areas, wherein at least two of the heat exchangers have different heat exchange areas,
• a low temperature recuperator arranged to receive as a first input carbon dioxide from the HTR,
• a cooler arranged to receive a portion of the carbon dioxide from the LTR,
• a first compressor coupled to be driven by the secondary turbine and arranged to receive the portion of the carbon dioxide from the cooler,
• a second compressor coupled to be driven by the secondary turbine and arranged to receive a remaining portion of the carbon dioxide from the LTR, and
• wherein the LTR is also arranged to receive as a second input for heat exchange with its first input the carbon dioxide from the first compressor and the HTR is arranged to receive as a second input for heat exchange with its first input the carbon dioxide from the second compressor and from the second input of the LTR before return of the carbon dioxide to the section heated by the heat source.

A power plant comprising:

• a heat source operable to generate heat;
• and
• a closed loop, supercritical carbon dioxide system (CLS-CO2 system) including a section arranged to receive the heat from the heat source to heat the supercritical carbon dioxide, the CLS-CO2 system including:
• a turbine-generator arranged to expand supercritical carbon dioxide received from the section heated by the heat source, the turbine being sized to expand the supercritical carbon dioxide to a non-supercritical state, and
• a plurality of compressors arranged to receive the non-supercritical state carbon dioxide from the turbine, the plurality of compressors being sized to compress the non-supercritical carbon dioxide to a supercritical state or near supercritical gaseous state prior to return to the section heated by the heat source.