Stress Analyses of Intermediate Heat Transfer Loop

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang H. Oh ◽  
Eung Soo Kim ◽  
Steven Sherman
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Hydrogen Production ◽  
Heat Transport ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Conversion Unit ◽  
Electrical Generation

The Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory are developing a Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) to serve as a demonstration of state-of-the-art nuclear technology. The purpose of the demonstration is two fold 1) efficient low cost energy generation and 2) hydrogen production. Although a next generation plant could be developed as a single-purpose facility dedicated to hydrogen production, early designs are expected to be dual purpose. While hydrogen production and advanced energy cycles are still in its early stages of development, research towards coupling a high temperature reactor with electrical generation and hydrogen production is under way. Many aspects of the NGNP must be researched and developed in order to make recommendations on the final design of the plant. Parameters such as working conditions, cycle components, working fluids, and power conversion unit configurations must be understood. A number of configurations of the power conversion unit were demonstrated in this study. An intermediate heat transport loop for transporting process heat to a High Temperature Steam Electrolysis (HTSE) hydrogen production plant was used. Helium, CO2, and a 80% nitrogen, 20% helium mixture (by weight) were studied to determine the best working fluid in terms cycle efficiency and development cost. In each of these configurations the relative component sizes were estimated for the different working fluids. Parametric studies were carried out on reactor outlet temperature, mass flow, pressure, and turbine cooling. Recommendations on the optimal working fluid for each configuration were made. Engineering analyses were performed for several configurations of the intermediate heat transport loop that transfers heat from the nuclear reactor to the hydrogen production plant. The analyses evaluated parallel and concentric piping arrangements and two different working fluids, including helium and a liquid salt. The thermal-hydraulic analyses determined the size and insulation requirements for the hot and cold leg pipes in the different configurations. Mechanical analyses were performed to determine hoop stresses and thermal expansion characteristics for the different configurations.

Design Configurations for Very High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Designed to Generate Electricity and Hydrogen

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang H. Oh ◽  
Cliff Davis ◽  
Robert Barner ◽  
Steven Sherman
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Design And Technology ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Design Development ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Conversion System ◽  
Hydrogen Plant ◽  
Liquid Salts ◽  
High Temperature Gas

The High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor is being envisioned that will generate not just electricity, but also hydrogen to charge up fuel cells for cars, trucks and other mobile energy uses. INL engineers studied various heat-transfer working fluids—including helium and liquid salts—in seven different configurations. In computer simulations, serial configurations diverted some energy from the heated fluid flowing to the electric plant and hydrogen production plant. In anticipation of the design, development and procurement of an advanced power conversion system for HTGR, this study was initiated to identify the major design and technology options and their tradeoffs in the evaluation of power conversion system (PCS) coupled to hydrogen plant. In this study, we investigated a number of design configurations and performed thermal hydraulic analyses using various working fluids and various conditions (Oh, 2005). This paper includes a portion of thermal hydraulic results based on a direct cycle and a parallel intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) configuration option.

Modeling and Analysis of Power Conversion System for High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor With Cogeneration

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Afrazeh ◽  
Hiwa Khaledi ◽  
Mohammad Bagher Ghofrani
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Heat Source ◽  
Gas Turbine ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Closed Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Heat ◽  
Conversion System ◽  
High Temperature Gas

A gas turbine in combination with a nuclear heat source has been subject of study for some years. This paper describes the advantages of a gas turbine combined with an inherently safe and well-proven nuclear heat source. The design of the power conversion system is based on a regenerative, non-intercooled, closed, direct Brayton cycle with high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), as heat source and helium gas as the working fluid. The plant produces electricity and hot water for district heating (DH). Variation of specific heat, enthalpy and entropy of working fluid with pressure and temperature are included in this model. Advanced blade cooling technology is used in order to allow for a high turbine inlet temperature. The paper starts with an overview of the main characteristics of the nuclear heat source, Then presents a study to determine the specifications of a closed-cycle gas turbine for the HTGR installation. Attention is given to the way such a closed-cycle gas turbine can be modeled. Subsequently the sensitivity of the efficiency to several design choices is investigated. This model is developed in Fortran.

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.

Heat Transport Characteristics in Closed Loop Oscillating Heat Pipes

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuangfeng Wang ◽  
Shigefumi Nishio
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pipe ◽  
Heat Transport ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Liquid Volume ◽  
High Heat Flux ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Inner Diameter

Heat transport rates of micro scale SEMOS (Self-Exciting Mode Oscillating) heat pipe with inner diameter of 1.5mm, 1.2mm and 0.9mm, were investigated by using R141b, ethanol and water as working fluids. The effects of inner diameter, liquid volume faction, and material properties of the working fluids are examined. It shows that the smaller the inner diameter, the higher the thermal transport density is. For removing high heat flux, the water is the most promising working fluid as it has the largest critical heat transfer rate and the widest operating range among the three kinds of working fluids. A one-dimensional numerical simulation is carried out to describe the heat transport characteristics and the two-phase flow behavior in the closed loop SEMOS heat pipe. The numerical prediction agrees with the experimental results fairly well, when the input heat through was not very high and the flow pattern was slug flow.   This paper was also originally published as part of the Proceedings of the ASME 2005 Pacific Rim Technical Conference and Exhibition on Integration and Packaging of MEMS, NEMS, and Electronic Systems.

scholarly journals Analysis of a High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Powered High Temperature Electrolysis Hydrogen Plant

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. McKellar ◽  
E. A. Harvego ◽  
A. M. Gandrik
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Hydrogen Production ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
Production Rate ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
System Pressure ◽  
Reference Design ◽  
High Temperature Gas ◽  
High Temperature Electrolysis

An updated reference design for a commercial-scale high-temperature electrolysis (HTE) plant for hydrogen production has been developed. The HTE plant is powered by a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) whose configuration and operating conditions are based on the latest design parameters planned for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). The current HTGR reference design specifies a reactor power of 600 MWt, with a primary system pressure of 7.0 MPa, and reactor inlet and outlet fluid temperatures of 322°C and 750°C, respectively. The reactor heat is used to produce heat and electric power for the HTE plant. A Rankine steam cycle with a power conversion efficiency of 44.4% was used to provide the electric power. The electrolysis unit used to produce hydrogen includes 1.1 million cells with a per-cell active area of 225 cm2. The reference hydrogen production plant operates at a system pressure of 5.0 MPa, and utilizes a steam-sweep system to remove the excess oxygen that is evolved on the anode (oxygen) side of the electrolyzer. The overall system thermal-to-hydrogen production efficiency (based on the higher heating value of the produced hydrogen) is 42.8% at a hydrogen production rate of 1.85 kg/s (66 million SCFD) and an oxygen production rate of 14.6 kg/s (33 million SCFD). An economic analysis of this plant was performed with realistic financial and cost estimating The results of the economic analysis demonstrated that the HTE hydrogen production plant driven by a high-temperature helium-cooled nuclear power plant can deliver hydrogen at a competitive cost. A cost of $3.03/kg of hydrogen was calculated assuming an internal rate of return of 10% and a debt to equity ratio of 80%/20% for a reactor cost of $2000/kWt and $2.41/kg of hydrogen for a reactor cost of $1400/kWt.

Experimental Investigation of a Single Stage Helium Axial Compressor of HTGR-10 Power Conversion Unit

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rongkai Zhu ◽  
Qun Zheng ◽  
Jiguo Zou ◽  
Rakesh Bhargava
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Axial Compressor ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Brayton Cycle ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Air Compressor ◽  
Conversion Unit ◽  
Compressor Performance

This paper focuses on an experimental investigation of a helium compressor, a major component of the Power Conversion Unit (PCU), used in a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR). The PCU system uses a direct Helium Brayton cycle for the power conversion. In this configuration, there is a strong coupling between the helium compressor and the other components of the PCU system. The estimations of compressor performance in stable and transient operational states are of high importance for the designer. Because of the difficulties in testing a compressor with helium as a working fluid, simulations methods using air to replace helium as a compressor working fluid in the experiments are researched. An experimental compressor system is built to investigate the performance of a helium compressor. Under different operating conditions, the compressor performance characteristics are obtained and compared with that of an air compressor. The possibility and the effective approach of designing a helium compressor based on the experimental data of an air compressor are studied. The experimental results showed that air under the correct flow conditions, identified using similitude analysis, can be used to test a helium compressor instead of far more expensive helium.

System and Component Transport Considerations of Micro-Pin Based Solar Receivers With High Temperature Gaseous Working Fluids

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Fronk ◽  
Saad A. Jajja
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Solar Thermal ◽  
System Level ◽  
Working Fluid ◽  
Solar Thermal Energy ◽  
Working Fluids ◽  
Compressor Power

This paper explores the interactions between micro-pin concentrated receiver designs with overall solar thermal energy system performance, with different operating conditions, working fluid, and required materials of construction. A 320 MW thermal plant coupled to a 160 MW electric sCO2 Brayton cycle is considered as the baseline. The circulating fluid enters the receiver at 550°C, and leaves at 720°C. The thermal storage/power block are located 150 m from the receiver at the base of the receiver tower. A resistance network based thermal and hydraulic model is used to predict heat transfer and pressure drop performance of the micro-pin receiver. This output of this model is coupled to a system level model of the pressure loss and compressor power required in the remainder of the high temperature gas loop. Overall performance is investigated for supercritical carbon dioxide and helium as working fluids, at pressures from 7.5 to 25 MPa, and at delivery temperatures of 720°C. The results show that by modifying pin depth and flow lengths, there are design spaces for micro-pin devices that can provide high thermal performance without significantly reducing the overall solar thermal system output at lower operating pressures. Use of lower pressure fluids enables lower cost materials of construction in the piping and distribution system, reducing the cost of electricity.

scholarly journals Design Option of Heat Exchanger for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang H. Oh ◽  
Eung S. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
System Integration ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Nuclear Plant ◽  
Design And Technology ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Tube Heat Exchanger ◽  
Intermediate Heat Exchanger ◽  
Hydrogen Plant

The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP), a very High temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (VHTR) concept, will provide the first demonstration of a closed-loop Brayton cycle at a commercial scale, producing a few hundred megawatts of power in the form of electricity and hydrogen. The power conversion unit (PCU) for the NGNP will take advantage of the significantly higher reactor outlet temperatures of the VHTRs to provide higher efficiencies than can be achieved with the current generation of light water reactors. Besides demonstrating a system design that can be used directly for subsequent commercial deployment, the NGNP will demonstrate key technology elements that can be used in subsequent advanced power conversion systems for other Generation IV reactors. In anticipation of the design, development and procurement of an advanced power conversion system for the NGNP, the system integration of the NGNP and hydrogen plant was initiated to identify the important design and technology options that must be considered in evaluating the performance of the proposed NGNP. As part of the system integration of the VHTRs and the hydrogen production plant, the intermediate heat exchanger is used to transfer the process heat from VHTRs to the hydrogen plant. Therefore, the design and configuration of the intermediate heat exchanger is very important. This paper will include analysis of one stage versus two stage heat exchanger design configurations and simple stress analyses of a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE), helical coil heat exchanger, and shell/tube heat exchanger.

scholarly journals Design Option of Heat Exchanger for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant

2009 ◽  
Vol 132 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang H. Oh ◽  
Eung S. Kim ◽  
Mike Patterson
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchanger ◽  
System Integration ◽  
Power Conversion ◽  
Nuclear Plant ◽  
Design And Technology ◽  
Production Plant ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Tube Heat Exchanger ◽  
Intermediate Heat Exchanger ◽  
Hydrogen Plant

The next generation nuclear plant (NGNP), a very high temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) concept, will provide the first demonstration of a closed-loop Brayton cycle at a commercial scale, producing a few hundred megawatts of power in the form of electricity and hydrogen. The power conversion unit for the NGNP will take advantage of the significantly higher reactor outlet temperatures of the VHTRs to provide higher efficiencies than can be achieved with the current generation of light water reactors. Besides demonstrating a system design that can be used directly for subsequent commercial deployment, the NGNP will demonstrate key technology elements that can be used in subsequent advanced power conversion systems for other Generation IV reactors. In anticipation of the design, development, and procurement of an advanced power conversion system for the NGNP, the system integration of the NGNP and hydrogen plant was initiated to identify the important design and technology options that must be considered in evaluating the performance of the proposed NGNP. As part of the system integration of the VHTRs and the hydrogen production plant, the intermediate heat exchanger is used to transfer the process heat from VHTRs to the hydrogen plant. Therefore, the design and configuration of the intermediate heat exchanger are very important. This paper describes analyses of one stage versus two-stage heat exchanger design configurations and simple stress analyses of a printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE), helical-coil heat exchanger, and shell-and-tube heat exchanger.

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