HTGR Closed Cycle GT Plant Analysis: Options and Procedures for Startup With Hot Gas Injection
The Starting up and Shutting down of a closed cycle gas turbine power plant needs special attention due to the inter-dependable nature of the components. Achieving self-sustainability in a fast and efficient way within the mechanical constraints is the challenge in the start-up of a closed cycle. The Nuclear reactor as the heat source will add more complexity to the system. The paper looks into the various options available for the start up and shutdown of a closed cycle Helium turbine using a gas cooled reactor as the heat source. A comparative analysis of these options is carried out by simulating various operating scenarios using a Transient Simulation Computer Programme especially prepared for an HTGR Project called PBMR (Pebble Bed Modular Reactor), which is being carried out in South Africa. The simulation was focused on the power conversion side of the plant, which includes all the Turbocompressors, Turbogenerator, Heat exchangers, Valves etc. Based on the analysis and its findings, an outline of a start up and shutdown procedure for a 3-shaft Closed Cycle Turbine Power Plant using hot gas injection is proposed in the paper.