Researchers at Sandia National Laboratory have developed a gas turbine for generating electricty from steam that relies on the Brayton cycle. It promises 40% more power in a smaller, more compact package. Calculations indicate you could get 20 MW from a four cubuic yard plant using such a turbine. Currently, steam turbines use the Rankine cycle, which is less efficient, corrosively damages parts at high temperatures, and takes 30 times the space of a Brayton turbine.
Sandia engineers are building a 10-MW prototype Brayton turbine that will supercritical carbon dioxide in a set up that is described as a jet engine running on a hot liquid.
