scholarly journals Performance Analyses and Evaluation of Co2 and N2 as Coolants in a Recuperated Brayton Gas Turbine Cycle for a Generation IV Nuclear Reactor Power Plant

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel O. Osigwe ◽  
Arnold Gad-Briggs ◽  
Theoklis Nikolaidis ◽  
Pericles Pilidis ◽  
Suresh Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Gas Turbine Cycle

Abstract As demands for clean and sustainable energy renew interests in nuclear power to meet future energy demands, generation IV nuclear reactors are seen as having the potential to provide the improvements required for nuclear power generation. However, for their benefits to be fully realized, it is important to explore the performance of the reactors when coupled to different configurations of closed-cycle gas turbine power conversion systems. The configurations provide variation in performance due to different working fluids over a range of operating pressures and temperatures. The objective of this paper is to undertake analyses at the design and off-design conditions in combination with a recuperated closed-cycle gas turbine and comparing the influence of carbon dioxide and nitrogen as the working fluid in the cycle. The analysis is demonstrated using an in-house tool, which was developed by the authors. The results show that the choice of working fluid controls the range of cycle operating pressures, temperatures, and overall performance of the power plant due to the thermodynamic and heat properties of the fluids. The performance results favored the nitrogen working fluid over CO2 due to the behavior CO2 below its critical conditions. The analyses intend to aid the development of cycles for generation IV nuclear power plants (NPPs) specifically gas-cooled fast reactors (GFRs) and very high-temperature reactors (VHTRs).

Performance Analysis of Generation IV Nuclear Reactor Power Plant Using CO2 and N2: Case Study of a Recuperated Brayton Gas Turbine Cycle

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel O. Osigwe ◽  
Arnold Gad-Briggs ◽  
Theoklis Nikolaidis ◽  
Pericles Pilidis ◽  
Suresh Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Performance Analysis ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Closed Cycle

With renewed interest in nuclear power to meet the world’s future energy demand, the Generation IV nuclear reactors are the next step in the deployment of nuclear power generation. However, for the potentials of these nuclear reactor designs to be fully realized, its suitability, when coupled with different configurations of closed-cycle gas turbine power conversion systems, have to be explored and performance compared for various possible working fluids over a range of operating pressures and temperatures. The purpose of this paper is to carry out performance analysis at the design and off-design conditions for a Generation IV nuclear-powered reactor in combination with a recuperated closed-cycle gas turbine and comparing the influence of carbon dioxide and nitrogen as working fluid in the cycle. This analysis is demonstrated in GTACYSS; a performance and preliminary design code developed by the authors for closed-cycle gas turbine simulations. The results obtained shows that the choice of working fluid controls the range of cycle operating pressures, temperatures and overall performance of the power plant due to the thermodynamic and heat properties of the fluids. The performance results favored the nitrogen working fluid over CO2 due to the behavior CO2 below its critical conditions.

Multi-Fluid Gas Turbine Components Scaling for a Generation IV Nuclear Power Plant Performance Simulation

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel O. Osigwe ◽  
Arnold Gad-Briggs ◽  
Theoklis Nikolaidis ◽  
Pericles Pilidis ◽  
Suresh Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Simulation Tool ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Performance Simulation ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Component Map

One major challenge to the accurate development of performance simulation tool for component-based nuclear power plant engine models is the difficulty in accessing component performance maps; hence, researchers or engineers often rely on estimation approach using various scaling techniques. This paper describes a multi-fluid scaling approach used to determine the component characteristics of a closed-cycle gas turbine plant from an existing component map with their design data, which can be applied for different working fluids as may be required in closed-cycle gas turbine operations to adapt data from one component map into a new component map. Each component operation is defined by an appropriate change of state equations which describes its thermodynamic behavior, thus, a consideration of the working fluid properties is of high relevance to the scaling approach. The multi-fluid scaling technique described in this paper was used to develop a computer simulation tool called GT-ACYSS, which can be valuable for analyzing the performance of closed-cycle gas turbine operations with different working fluids. This approach makes it easy to theoretically scale existing map using similar or different working fluids without carrying out a full experimental test or repeating the whole design and development process. The results of selected case studies show a reasonable agreement with available data.

The Liquid Metal Fuel Reactor Closed-Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant

1956 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. D. Stoughton ◽  
T. V. Sheehan
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Reactor Fuel ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Fuel Reactor ◽  
Metal Fuel ◽  
Gas Turbine Power Plant

A nuclear power plant is proposed which combines the advantages of a liquid metal fueled reactor with those inherent in a closed cycle gas turbine. The reactor fuel is a solution of uranium in molten bismuth which allows for unlimited burn-up with continuous fuel make-up and processing. The fuel can either be contained in a graphite core structure or circulated through an external heat exchanger. The cycle working fluid is an inert gas which is heated by the reactor fuel before entering the turbine. A 15 MW closed cycle gas turbine system is shown to illustrate the application of this reactor.

The Autoignition of Nuclear Reactor Power Plant Explosions

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Leishear
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Nuclear Reactions ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Common Cause ◽  
Fluid Transients ◽  
Accident Conditions

Abstract Explosive research proves that there is a common cause for most explosions in nuclear reactor power plants during normal operations and accident conditions. The autoignition of flammable hydrogen is a common cause for nuclear power plant explosions, where complex corrosion processes, nuclear reactions, and thermal-fluid transients autoignite explosions. Research evaluated increasingly complicated accidents. First, piping explosions occurred at Hamaoka and Brunsbuttel. Fluid transients compressed oxygen and flammable hydrogen to heat these gases to autoignition, where resultant explosions shredded steel pipes. This identical mechanism was responsible for pipe and pump damages to U.S. reactor systems since the 1950s, where water hammer alone has been assumed to cause damages. Small explosions inside the piping actually cause damages during nuclear reactor startups and flow rate changes. Second, explosions are caused by thermal-fluid transients during nuclear reactor restarts, following accidental nuclear reactor meltdowns. Disastrous explosions destroyed nuclear reactor buildings (RBs) at Fukushima Daiichi. Previously considered to be a fire, a 319 kilogram hydrogen explosion occurred at Three Mile Island (TMI). The explosion cause following each of these loss-of-coolant accidents was identical, i.e., after meltdowns, pump operations heated gases, which in turn acted as the heat source to autoignite sequential hydrogen explosions in reactor systems to ignite RBs. Third, the Chernobyl explosion followed a reactor meltdown that was complicated by a high energy nuclear criticality. The hydrogen ignition and explosion causes are more complicated as well, where two sequential hydrogen explosions were ignited by high-temperature reactor fuel.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF WORKING FLUID ON SELECTION OF GAS TURBINE CYCLE CONFIGURATION FOR GEN-IV NUCLEAR POWER PLANT SYSTEM

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019.27 (0) ◽  
pp. 2082
Author(s):  
Emmanuel O. Osigwe ◽  
Arnold Gad-Briggs ◽  
Pericles Pilidis ◽  
Theoklis Nikolaidis ◽  
Suresh Sampath
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Plant System ◽  
Gen Iv ◽  
Gas Turbine Cycle ◽  
Selection Of

scholarly journals Electrically Charged

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (06) ◽  
pp. 50-52
Author(s):  
Lee Longston
Keyword(s):  
Electric Power ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
The United States ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Wide Range

This article focuses on gas turbines that were produced in 2001 spanning a wide range of capacities. As the engineer's most versatile energy converters, gas turbines producing thrust power continued in 2001 to propel most of the world's aircraft, both military and commercial. The largest commercial jet engines today can produce as much as 120,000 pounds thrust, or some 534,000 Newton. More natural gas pipeline capacity will be added to feed the surge in gas-driven electric power plants that have been corning online in the United States and other parts of the world. The gas turbine may come to be used in a new, commercially promising closed-cycle configuration. A South African company has been working on plans to build and test a prototype of a closed-cycle electric power gas turbine, which uses helium gas as the working fluid and a helium-cooled nuclear reactor to provide heat to power the cycle. If the gas turbine-nuclear reactor power plant is successful, the gas turbine may be the key to yet another energy conversion device, as it has been with record-setting numbers of combined-cycle plants installed worldwide.

Substantiation of the parameters and layout solutions for an energy conversion unit with a gas-turbine cycle in a nuclear power plant with HTGR

Atomic Energy ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Vasyaev ◽  
V. F. Golovko ◽  
I. V. Dmitrieva ◽  
N. G. Kodochigov ◽  
N. G. Kuzavkov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Energy Conversion ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Conversion Unit ◽  
Gas Turbine Cycle

A High Effective Parallel Method for the Coupling Between Neutronics and Thermal-Hydraulic

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaomeng Dong ◽  
Zhijian Zhang ◽  
Zhaofei Tian ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Guangliang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Reactor Core ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Coupling Method ◽  
Outlet Temperature

Multi-physics coupling analysis is one of the most important fields among the analysis of nuclear power plant. The basis of multi-physics coupling is the coupling between neutronics and thermal-hydraulic because it plays a decisive role in the computation of reactor power, outlet temperature of the reactor core and pressure of vessel, which determines the economy and security of the nuclear power plant. This paper develops a coupling method which uses OPENFOAM and the REMARK code. OPENFOAM is a 3-dimension CFD open-source code for thermal-hydraulic, and the REMARK code (produced by GSE Systems) is a real-time simulation multi-group core model for neutronics while it solves diffusion equations. Additionally, a coupled computation using these two codes is new and has not been done. The method is tested and verified using data of the QINSHAN Phase II typical nuclear reactor which will have 16 × 121 elements. The coupled code has been modified to adapt unlimited CPUs after parallelization. With the further development and additional testing, this coupling method has the potential to extend to a more large-scale and accurate computation.

scholarly journals The Design of Turbomachinery for the Gas Turbine (Direct Cycle) High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor Power Plant

1977 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Adams ◽  
F. H. Boenig
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Reactor Power ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Primary Coolant ◽  
Reactor Power Plant ◽  
Direct Cycle ◽  
High Temperature Gas

The Gas Turbine HTGR, or “Direct Cycle” High-Temperature Gas-Cooled, Reactor power plant, uses a closed-cycle gas turbine directly in the primary coolant circuit of a helium-cooled high-temperature nuclear reactor. Previous papers have described configuration studies leading to the selection of reactor and power conversion loop layout, and the considerations affecting the design of the components of the power conversion loop. This paper discusses briefly the effects of the helium working fluid and the reactor cooling loop environment on the design requirements of the direct-cycle turbomachinery and describes the mechanical arrangement of a typical turbomachine for this application. The aerodynamic design is outlined, and the mechanical design is described in some detail, with particular emphasis on the bearings and seals for the turbomachine.

scholarly journals Thermodynamic analysis of high temperature nuclear reactor coupled with advanced gas turbine combined cycle

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (Suppl. 4) ◽  
pp. 1187-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Jaszczur ◽  
Michal Dudek ◽  
Zygmunt Kolenda
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Thermodynamic Analysis ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Coal Gasification ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Oil Processing

One of the most advanced and most effective technology for electricity generation nowadays based on a gas turbine combined cycle. This technology uses natural gas, synthesis gas from the coal gasification or crude oil processing products as the energy carriers but at the same time, gas turbine combined cycle emits SO2, NOx, and CO2 to the environment. In this paper, a thermodynamic analysis of environmentally friendly, high temperature gas nuclear reactor system coupled with gas turbine combined cycle technology has been investigated. The analysed system is one of the most advanced concepts and allows us to produce electricity with the higher thermal efficiency than could be offered by any currently existing nuclear power plant technology. The results show that it is possible to achieve thermal efficiency higher than 50% what is not only more than could be produced by any modern nuclear plant but it is also more than could be offered by traditional (coal or lignite) power plant.

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