ENGINEERING Energy (impact factor: 8.1, JCR Q1), formerly known as Frontiers in Energy, is a peer-reviewed international journal launched in January 2007. It provides a unique platform for reporting advanced research and strategic thinking on energy technology, and aims to promote rapid communication and dialogue among researchers, scientists, engineers and policymakers working across the broad field of energy. It is indexed in SCI, EI, SCOPUS, Google Scholar, CSCD and other major databases.
The transition toward clean, secure and efficient energy systems requires advanced power-cycle technologies that can efficiently convert diverse thermal resources into electricity while supporting flexible and low-carbon operation. Supercritical CO2 (sCO2) power cycles have emerged as a promising route for next-generation energy conversion owing to their high efficiency, compact configuration and adaptability to a wide range of heat sources, including renewable energy, advanced nuclear energy, industrial waste heat and energy storage systems.
The development of sCO2 technologies is inherently interdisciplinary, involving thermodynamics, heat transfer, turbomachinery, materials, control, digitalization and system integration. Key challenges remain in critical-region thermophysics, compact heat exchangers, high-temperature components, corrosion, dynamic operation, safety, reliability and techno-economic deployment. Addressing these challenges is closely aligned with the scope of ENGINEERING Energy, particularly in energy conversion and utilization, energy storage, new energy systems, energy and environment, and interdisciplinary energy research.
This Special Issue aims to provide a focused platform for recent advances in sCO2 power cycles and their integration with energy conversion, storage and multi-energy systems. Contributions that establish clear links between fundamental mechanisms, engineering design, system performance, environmental impact and practical deployment are particularly encouraged.
Original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, perspectives, viewpoints, comments, and highlights are welcome. All submitted manuscripts should present original work that has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere. All submissions will undergo the standard independent peer-review process of ENGINEERING Energy.
Topics for the Special Issue:
1. Cycle innovation and thermodynamic foundations
Novel sCO2 cycle architectures, including recompression, partial-cooling, intercooling, reheating, regenerative, combined, bottoming, oxy-fuel and closed-loop cycles; thermodynamic and exergy analysis; performance limits; cycle selection for different heat-source temperature levels; and optimization for efficiency, flexibility, compactness and integration.
2. Thermophysical mechanisms and heat-transfer science
Near-critical and supercritical CO2 properties; heat transfer and pressure drop; flow instability; buoyancy and acceleration effects; pseudo-boiling; heat-transfer enhancement and deterioration; experimental measurements; correlations; high-fidelity simulation; data-driven modeling; and coupled thermal-fluid-material mechanisms.
3. Key components, materials and equipment engineering
Recuperators, printed circuit heat exchangers, heaters, coolers, turbines, compressors, expanders, seals, bearings, valves and compact equipment; component matching; high-temperature materials; corrosion and compatibility in CO2 environments; additive manufacturing; and reliable equipment deployment.
4. Integration with low-carbon energy sources
sCO2 cycles driven by solar thermal, advanced nuclear, geothermal, biomass, industrial waste heat, fossil-fired and oxy-fuel systems; heat-source matching; thermal management; power-block integration; and environmental constraints for efficient energy conversion.
5. Energy storage and multi-energy systems
Integration of sCO2 cycles with thermal energy storage, Carnot batteries, pumped thermal energy storage, compressed or liquid CO2 energy storage, hydrogen-related systems, combined cooling, heating and power, smart grids, microgrids and flexible low-carbon energy networks.
6. Dynamic operation, control, digitalization and reliability
Start-up and shutdown; off-design operation; load following; transient behavior; flexible operation; control strategies; safety analysis; fault diagnosis; reliability assessment; uncertainty quantification; digital twins; AI-assisted operation and optimization; and engineering demonstration.
7. Techno-economic, environmental and deployment assessment
Thermoeconomic analysis; cost-performance optimization; life-cycle assessment; carbon-footprint analysis; sustainability assessment; commercialization pathways; market and policy implications; and deployment strategies for clean, secure and efficient energy systems.
Guest Editorial Board
Prof. Jinliang XU, North China Electric Power University, China
Email: xjl@ncepu.edu.cn
Prof. Christos N. MARKIDES, Imperial College London, United Kingdom
Email: c.markides@imperial.ac.uk
Prof. Hongzhi LI, Xi'an Thermal Power Research Institute Co., Ltd., China
Email: lihongzhi@tpri.com.cn
Prof. Lin CHEN, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Email: chenlin2018@iet.cn
Prof. Mingjia LI, Beijing Institute of Technology, China
Email: mjli@bit.edu.cn
Assoc. Prof. Yao ZHAO, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China
Email: zhaoyao@sjtu.edu.cn
Submission information:
Submission Website: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/fie
Author Guidelines: www.springer.com/11708
Submission Deadline: June 30, 2027
Important: When submitting your manuscript, please be sure to select “Special Issue: Supercritical CO2 Power Cycles for Energy Conversion, Storage and Multi-Energy Systems” to ensure proper consideration for this issue.
Contact for Inquiries:
For questions and more information, please contact Dr. Ruiqin Liu from the editorial office:
Email: rqliu@sjtu.edu.cn