Nuclear power sources for underwater application

Author(s):  
T. Fleming ◽  
M. Starr
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 8484
Author(s):  
Seok-Ho Song ◽  
Jin-Young Heo ◽  
Jeong-Ik Lee

A nuclear power plant is one of the power sources that shares a large portion of base-load. However, as the proportion of renewable energy increases, nuclear power plants will be required to generate power more flexibly due to the intermittency of the renewable energy sources. This paper reviews a layout thermally integrating the liquid air energy storage system with a nuclear power plant. To evaluate the performance realistically while optimizing the layout, operating nuclear power plant conditions are used. After revisiting the analysis, the optimized performance of the proposed system is predicted to achieve 59.96% of the round-trip efficiency. However, it is further shown that external environmental conditions could deteriorate the performance. For the design of liquid air energy storage-nuclear power plant integrated systems, both the steam properties of the linked plants and external factors should be considered.


2011 ◽  
pp. 2731-2758
Author(s):  
N. E. Kukharkin ◽  
N. N. Ponomarev-Stepnoi ◽  
V. A. Usov

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrija Volkanovski ◽  
Andrej Prošek

The loss of off-site power (LOOP) event occurs when all electrical power to the nuclear power plant from the power grid is lost. Complete failure of both off-site and on-site alternating current (AC) power sources is referred to as a station blackout (SBO). Combined LOOP and SBO events are analyzed in this paper. The analysis is done for different time delays between the LOOP and SBO events. Deterministic safety analysis is utilized for the assessment of the plant parameters for different time delays of the SBO event. Obtained plant parameters are used for the assessment of the probabilities of the functional events in the SBO event tree. The results show that the time delay of the SBO after the LOOP leads to a decrease of the core damage frequency (CDF) from the SBO event tree. The reduction of the CDF depends on the time delay of the SBO after the LOOP event. The results show the importance of the safety systems to operate after the plant shutdown when the decay heat is large. Small changes of the basic events importance measures are identified with the introduction of the delay of the SBO event.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liviu Popa-Simil

AbstractThe advanced space missions need for more power opened the way for advanced nuclear reactors and for alternative power conversion procedures. The most advanced power systems available in space are the fuel cells and nuclear reactors. Both systems manifest low efficiencies for converting the primary energy into electricity and as consequence are requiring high heat dump into space mainly by infrared radiation. The thermo-nuclear power generator also requires a high temperature gas turbine and a mechano-electric generator, finally driving to low conversion efficiencies. The new nano-materials offer the possibility of creating direct energy conversion devices able of achieving high conversion efficiencies up to 99% in the cryogenic versions. The interest for direct conversion of the nuclear energy into electricity appeared in early 1940th, by the invention of the thermo-ionic fission device by Linder. Then a series of patents and scientific papers improved gradually the designs and performances of the devices, up to the actual concepts of beta-voltaic and liquid-electronics. The most intuitive direct conversion device looks mainly like a super mirror- or a heterogeneous super-capacitor. The issues on its operation are related to global conversion efficiencies and the stable operation life-time in high radiation field. There are combinations of nano-structures and actinides assuring both the neutron flux stability, by meeting criticality conditions and the direct conversion or the nuclear energy into electricity. Achieving a high efficiency internal conversion of the nuclear energy into electricity is not enough if it is not completed by a high efficiency power extraction system from the nuclear reactor core into the outside load. The development of the new MEMS devices and micro electronics in the 40 nm technologies provides an excellent background for the production of the electric power harvesting and conversion devices embedded in the fuel. The new nano-structured materials may be produced as radiation energy harvesting tiles that are free of actinides, using them for harvesting the energy of radioactive sources and controlled fusion devices, or may include actinides in their structure achieving critical or sub-critical accelerator driven nuclear reactor assemblies. Another predictable advantage of the nano-structure is the property of self-repairing and self-organizing to compensate the radiation damage and improve the lifetime. Due to direct conversion the power density of the new materials may increase from the actual average of 0.2 kw/cm3 to about 1 kw/mm3 driving to miniaturization of nuclear power sources and reductions of the shield weight. At these dimensions and power densities of few thousands horse power per liter the nuclear power source becomes suitable for mobile applications as powering trains, strategic airplanes, etc. These new developments may drive to the production of high power solid-state compact nuclear battery for space applications, leading to a new development stage.


Author(s):  
Guohua Yan ◽  
Chen Ye

In the entire history of commercial nuclear power so far, only two major accidents leading to damage of reactor core have taken place. One is Three Mile Island (TMT) accident (1979), which is caused by a series of human error, and the other is Chernobyl accident (1986), which is due to the combined reason of design defects and human errors. After TMI and Chernobyl accidents, in order to reduce manpower in operation and maintenance and influence of human errors on reactor safety, consideration is given to utilization of passive safety systems. According to the IAEA definition, passive safety systems are based on natural forces, such as convection and gravity, and stored energy, making safety functions less dependent on active systems and operators’ action. Recently, the technology of passive safety has been adopted in many reactor designs, such as AP1000, developed by Westinghouse and EP1000 developed by European vendor, and so on. AP1000 as the first so-called Generation III+ has received the final design approval from US NRC in September 2004, and now being under construction in Sanmen, China. In this paper, the major passive safety systems of AP1000, including passive safety injection system, automatic depressurization system passive residual heat removal system and passive containment cooling system, are described and their responses to a break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) are given. Just due to these passive systems’ adoption, the nuclear plant can be able to require no operator action and offsite or onsite AC power sources for at least 72h when one accident occurs, and the core melt and large release frequencies are significantly below the requirement of operating plants and the NRC safety goals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1457
Author(s):  
Dana S. SMAGULOVA ◽  
Yessil Sh. RAKHMETOV ◽  
Akmaral V SMANOVA ◽  
Bahytkul KONYSBAI ◽  
Botakoz SHANSHARBAУEVA

The global energy security is the steady system of the legal, political and economic relations allowing to support effective functioning of a world power system. International legal problems on ensuring energy security effectively can be solved only by cooperation of the states in this sphere. For ensuring effective cooperation in the international energy security the states need to develop the general legal approaches for a long-term outlook which will promote the solution of such problems as reliable providing fuel with traditional types; diversification and safety of power supply; development of nuclear power; energy saving; search of breakthrough technologies and perspective environmentally friendly power sources. In the process of consideration of these issues the main international Agreements as well as the role of the Republic Kazakhstan in international legal support of energy security on the example of bilateral agreements with the leading States of the world community have been analyzed and investigated in this article. The creation of a global system energy security system will save the world from the conflicts generated by the struggle for energy security and will contribute to the international stability as a whole. The Republic of Kazakhstan as an active participant in global economic relations is interested in strengthening energy cooperation with all states on the principles of equal partnership and mutual benefit and contributing to the implementation of breakthrough international initiatives aimed at strengthening global energy security.


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