An Unexpected Sustainable Energy Solution

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael F. Keller
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Gas Combustion ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Energy Assets

A recently patented hybrid technology may prove to be an energy game-changer. This innovative integrated combined cycle uses two fuels and a large gas (combustion) turbine in tandem with a small, efficient helium nuclear reactor to cleanly produce electrical power. The hybrid approach to energy sustainability combines the strengths of individual energy assets to yield an optimal solution to meet the planet’s needs. This integration is more effective than the sum of the individual technologies by themselves. The hybrid is able to efficiently use all of fuel resources available in the US in a single power plant. The hybrid-nuclear family of technologies is a fail-safe, environmentally friendly and evolutionary new direction for nuclear power and energy production.

scholarly journals Powering Ahead

2011 ◽  
Vol 133 (05) ◽  
pp. 30-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee S. Langston
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Gas Turbines ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Electrical Power System ◽  
Efficient Technology ◽  
The Military

This article explores the increasing use of natural gas in different turbine industries and in turn creating an efficient electrical system. All indications are that the aviation market will be good for gas turbine production as airlines and the military replace old equipment and expanding economies such as China and India increase their air travel. Gas turbines now account for some 22% of the electricity produced in the United States and 46% of the electricity generated in the United Kingdom. In spite of this market share, electrical power gas turbines have kept a much lower profile than competing technologies, such as coal-fired thermal plants and nuclear power. Gas turbines are also the primary device behind the modern combined power plant, about the most fuel-efficient technology we have. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is developing a new J series gas turbine for the combined cycle power plant market that could achieve thermal efficiencies of 61%. The researchers believe that if wind turbines and gas turbines team up, they can create a cleaner, more efficient electrical power system.

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.

Earthquake Experience Data Point to Benefit of Diverse Backup Power

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Calhoun ◽  
Mark A. Gake
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Electrical Power Systems ◽  
Common Mode ◽  
Failure Risk ◽  
Diesel Generators ◽  
The Individual

Operating nuclear power plants typically have backup electrical power supplied by diesel generators. Although backup power systems are designed with redundant trains, each capable of supplying the power requirements for safe shutdown equipment, there is a common-mode seismic failure risk inherent in these customary backup power arrangements. In an earthquake, multiple equipment trains with similar, if not identical, components located side-by-side are exposed to inertial forces that are essentially identical. In addition, because of their similar subcomponent configurations, seismic fragilities are approximately equal. In that case, the probability of multiple backup power system failures during an earthquake is likely to be dependent on, and nearly the same as, the individual seismic failure probability of each equipment train. Post-earthquake inspections at conventional multiple unit power stations over the last 40 years identified this common-mode seismic failure risk long before the tsunami-related common-mode failures of diesel generators at Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011. Experience data from post-earthquake inspections also indicate that failure probabilities of diverse sets of power generation equipment are independent and inherently less susceptible to common-mode failures. This paper demonstrates that employing diverse backup power designs will deliver quantifiable improvements in electrical system availability following an earthquake. These improvements are illustrated from available literature of post-earthquake inspection reports, along with other firsthand observations. A case study of the seismic performance of similarly configured electrical power generation systems is compared to the performance of diverse sets of electrical power systems. Seismic probabilistic risk analyses for several system configurations are presented to show the benefit of improved post-earthquake availability that results from designing new backup power systems with greater diversity.

scholarly journals Potencial de producción de energía eléctrica en México empleando la circulación del parque vehicular

2019 ◽  
pp. 25-30
Author(s):  
Felipe Castañeda-Olivares ◽  
Claudia Aguirre-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Energy Production ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
The United States ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Interconnected System ◽  
Conventional Technology ◽  
World Economic ◽  
Power Clean

The production of electricity is a necessity of modern life and Mexico does not escape it. Mexico ranks 51st in the Global Electricity Competitiveness Index, according to World Economic Forum studies. Where the following sources of energy production are used. Conventional Technology: Combined Cycle, Conventional Thermoelectric, Carb, Turbo Gas, Internal Combustion, Nuclear Power. Clean and Renewable Energy: Hydroelectric, Wind, Geothermal, Solar Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal. Electrical power is also imported from the United States. The objective of this research is to make known other possibilities of generating electricity that have not been explored in Mexico or contemplated in the Program for the Development of the National Electrical System (PRODESEN, 2018-2032). The hypothesis put forward as a proposal is that the 38 million motor vehicles that exist and circulate on the country’s roads and highways can be used to generate electricity through piezoelectric generators and wind turbines. Based on the planning scenario estimates, the maximum integrated demand of the National Interconnected System (SIN) projects an average annual growth of 3.2% between 2018 and 2032. To achieve this growth, it is necessary to consider all the possibilities of energy production and its profitability.

scholarly journals Numerical investigation of advanced gas turbine combined cycle coupled with high-temperature nuclear reactor and cogeneration unit

2019 ◽  
Vol 128 ◽  
pp. 03005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Jaszczur ◽  
Michal Dudek ◽  
Zygmunt Kolenda
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Power Systems ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Coal Gasification ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel

In the European Union by 2050, more than 80% of electricity should be generated using nongreenhousegases energy technology. Nuclear power systems share at present about 15% of the power market and thistechnology can be the backbone of a carbon-free European power system. Energy market transitions are similar to global pathways were analysed in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. From a practical point of view currently, the most advanced and most effective technology for electricity generation is based on a gas turbine combined cycle. This technology in a normal way uses natural gas, synthesis gas from the coal gasification or crude oil processing products as the energy carriers but at the same time, such system emits sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and CO2 to the environment. In thepresent paper, a thermodynamic analysis of environmentally friendly power plant with a high–temperature gas nuclear reactor and advanced configuration of gas turbine combined cycle technology is investigated. The presented analysis shows that it is possible to obtain for proposed thermalcycles an efficiency higher than 50% which is not only more than could be offered by traditional coal power plant but much more than can be proposed by any other nuclear technology.

scholarly journals Electrical Power Prediction through a Combination of Multilayer Perceptron with Water Cycle Ant Lion and Satin Bowerbird Searching Optimizers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2336
Author(s):  
Hossein Moayedi ◽  
Amir Mosavi
Keyword(s):  
Power Plants ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Electrical Power ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Power Prediction ◽  
Satin Bowerbird ◽  
Ant Lion

Predicting the electrical power (PE) output is a significant step toward the sustainable development of combined cycle power plants. Due to the effect of several parameters on the simulation of PE, utilizing a robust method is of high importance. Hence, in this study, a potent metaheuristic strategy, namely, the water cycle algorithm (WCA), is employed to solve this issue. First, a nonlinear neural network framework is formed to link the PE with influential parameters. Then, the network is optimized by the WCA algorithm. A publicly available dataset is used to feed the hybrid model. Since the WCA is a population-based technique, its sensitivity to the population size is assessed by a trial-and-error effort to attain the most suitable configuration. The results in the training phase showed that the proposed WCA can find an optimal solution for capturing the relationship between the PE and influential factors with less than 1% error. Likewise, examining the test results revealed that this model can forecast the PE with high accuracy. Moreover, a comparison with two powerful benchmark techniques, namely, ant lion optimization and a satin bowerbird optimizer, pointed to the WCA as a more accurate technique for the sustainable design of the intended system. Lastly, two potential predictive formulas, based on the most efficient WCAs, are extracted and presented.

Investigation of Thermal Efficiency of Generic Pressure-Channel Reactors With Steam Reheat

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifeng Zhou ◽  
Paul Ponomaryov ◽  
Cristina Mazza ◽  
Igor Pioro
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Pressure Channel ◽  
High Neutron

Currently, i.e., in 2016, 4361 nuclear-power reactors operate in the world. 96.6% of these reactors are water-cooled (373 reactors (280 PWRs, 78 BWRs and 15 LGRs are cooled with light water and 48 reactors — PHWRs are cooled with heavy water. 15% of all water-cooled reactors are pressure-channel or pressure-tube design, the rest — pressure-vessel design. All current NPPs with water-cooled reactors have relatively low thermal efficiencies within 30–36% compared to that of current NPPs with AGRs (42%) and SFR (40%) and compared to that of modern advanced thermal power plants: combined-cycle plants (up to 62%) and supercritical-pressure coal-fired plants (up to 55%). Therefore, it is very important to propose ways of improvement of thermal efficiency for this largest group of nuclear-power reactors. It should be noted that among six Generation-IV nuclear-reactor concepts one concept is a SCWR, which might reach thermal efficiencies within the range of 45–50% and even beyond. However, this concept has been never tested, and the most difficult problem on the way of implementation of this type of reactor is the reliability of materials at supercritical pressures and temperatures, very aggressive reactor coolant – supercritical water, and high neutron flux. Up till now, no experiments on behavior of various core materials at these conditions have been reported so far in the open literature. As an interim way of thermal-efficiency improvement for water-cooled NPPs nuclear steam reheat can be considered. However, this way is more appropriate only for pressure-channel reactors, for example, CANDU-type or PHWRs. Moreover, in the 60’s and 70’s, Russia, the USA and some other countries have developed and implemented the nuclear steam reheat in subcritical-pressure experimental boiling reactors. Therefore, an objective of the current paper is to summarize this experience and to estimate effect of a number of parameters on thermal efficiencies of a generic pressure-channel reactors with nuclear steam reheat. For this purpose the DE-TOP program has been used.

Optimizing Feedwater Heater Operation in a Nuclear Power Plant

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Fitzgerald
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Pneumatic Control ◽  
Cascading Effects ◽  
Control Scheme ◽  
Control Schemes ◽  
Operations And Maintenance ◽  
Field Device ◽  
The Individual

Feedwater heaters are a tough application even in a conventional power plant. Because of the complicated control scheme and the cascading effects between heaters, the levels in the heaters tend to cycle, reducing their ability to effectively transfer heat to the feedwater and wearing out many of the components that surround them. This situation is made even worse in a typical nuclear plant where the control schemes are normally built on obsolete local pneumatic control platforms that do not have the flexibility to be tuned for optimum performance. This paper will present the basics of a step by step analysis of a feedwater heater system in a Boiling Water Nuclear Reactor that is aimed at optimizing the individual field devices in the system and then coupling them up to a state of the art control system. It will illustrate the importance of field device selection and setup, and demonstrate several new tools available that will insure that the system is operating at peak efficiency. The summary will detail the resulting improvements in process control and their impact on reducing operations and maintenance costs, while driving up overall efficiency in the plant.

scholarly journals An analysis of high-temperature nuclear reactor coupled with gas turbine combined cycle

2018 ◽  
Vol 240 ◽  
pp. 05010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Jaszczur ◽  
Michał Dudek ◽  
Tomasz Śliwa ◽  
Zygmunt Kolenda
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Thermal Efficiency ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
The Impact

At present many companies from the energy sector have to follow new regulations and concerns three crucial aspects of energy production: the impact on the environment, the efficiency of energy conversion and the cost of energy. From a technical point of view, the most efficient technology available today for electricity generation is based on a gas turbine combined cycle. In the present paper, an 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 allow electricity generation 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 for nuclear power plant higher than 50% which is not only more than could be produced by any modern nuclear plant but it is also more than could be offered by most of the traditional power plants.

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