On the adoption of carbon dioxide thermodynamic cycles for nuclear power conversion: A case study applied to Mochovce 3 Nuclear Power Plant

In this study, closed CO2 cycles are investigated for potential application in existing nuclear power stations, referring in particular to Mochovce power station currently under construction in Slovak Republic. Three different CO2 cycles layouts are explored in the range of temperatures offered by the nuclear source and of the existing cooling towers. The investigation shows that the common opinion that S-CO2 cycles are well suited in the medium to a high temperature range only (higher than about 450°C) seems unjustified. For a primary heat source with a maximum temperature of 299°C and a heat sink with a minimum temperature of 19°C and reasonable assumptions about advanced turbomachines and heat exchanger performances, the supercritical recompressed reheated regenerative CO2 cycle would yield a net efficiency of 34.04%, which compares well with the 33.51% net efficiency of the existing Rankine cycle. The estimated length of the complete turboset (2 turbines, 1 pump and 1 compressor) would be less than 11m (versus two wet steam turbines of 22m each for the same power), resulting in a factor of 10 reduction in the footprint of the balance of plant.

[1]  Jeong-Ik Lee,et al.  Potential advantages of coupling supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle to water cooled small and medium size reactor , 2012 .

[2]  G. Angelino.  Real Gas Effects in Carbon Dioxide Cycles , 1969 .

[3]  Gequn Shu,et al.  An improved CO2-based transcritical Rankine cycle (CTRC) used for engine waste heat recovery , 2016 .

[4]  Brian D. Iverson,et al.  Supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles for solar-thermal energy , 2013 .

[5]  Colin F. McDonald,et al.  Helium turbomachinery operating experience from gas turbine power plants and test facilities , 2012 .

[6]  Seungjoon Baik,et al.  Review of supercritical CO2 power cycle technology and current status of research and development , 2015 .

[7]  Jürgen Giesecke,et al.  Wasserkraftanlagen : Planung, Bau und Betrieb , 2005 .

[8]  M. A. Reyes-Belmonte,et al.  Optimization of a recompression supercritical carbon dioxide cycle for an innovative central receiver solar power plant , 2016 .

[9]  Takashi Yamamoto,et al.  Demonstration of Supercritical CO2 Closed Regenerative Brayton Cycle in a Bench Scale Experiment , 2012 .

[10]  Hans Ulrich Frutschi,et al.  Closed-cycle gas turbines , 2005 .

[11]  Yong-Bum Lee,et al.  Potential sodium–CO2 interaction of a supercritical CO2 power conversion option coupled with an SFR: Basic nature and design issues , 2013 .

[12]  M. Carlson.  Sandia Progress on Advanced Heat Exchangers for SCO2 Brayton Cycles. , 2014 .

[13]  Ulrich Rohde,et al.  VVER-Type Reactors of Russian Design , 2010 .

[14]  E. Feher.  SUPERCRITICAL THERMODYNAMIC POWER CYCLE. , 1967 .

[15]  C. Invernizzi,et al.  Carbon dioxide power cycles using liquid natural gas as heat sink , 2009 .

[16]  Junfu Lu,et al.  Improved gas heaters for supercritical CO2 Rankine cycles: Considerations on forced and mixed convection heat transfer enhancement , 2016 .

[17]  Seungjoon Baik,et al.  Issues in performance measurement of CO2 compressor near the critical point , 2016 .

[18]  J. I. Linares,et al.  Supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycles for DEMO (demonstration power plant) fusion reactor based on dual coolant lithium lead blanket , 2016 .

[19]  D. Schmidt,et al.  Industrial Closed-Cycle Gas Turbines for Conventional and Nuclear Fuel , 1967 .

[20]  Y. Kato,et al.  Printed circuit heat exchanger thermal–hydraulic performance in supercritical CO2 experimental loop , 2006 .

[21]  J. I. Linares,et al.  Supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycles for DEMO fusion reactor based on Helium Cooled Lithium Lead blanket , 2015 .

[22]  G. Angelino.  Carbon Dioxide Condensation Cycles For Power Production , 1968 .

[23]  Supercritical CO2 Heat Exchanger Fouling , 2014 .

[24]  José M. Cardemil,et al.  Parametrized overview of CO2 power cycles for different operation conditions and configurations – An absolute and relative performance analysis , 2016 .

[25]  G. Angelino.  Perspectives for the Liquid Phase Compression Gas Turbine , 1967 .

[26]  Frank P. Incropera,et al.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 1981 .

[27]  Jeong Ik Lee,et al.  Various supercritical carbon dioxide cycle layouts study for molten carbonate fuel cell application , 2014 .

[28]  J. Kenneth Salisbury.  Steam Turbines and Their Cycles , 1974 .

[29]  G. Angelino,et al.  The Dependence of Power Cycles’ Performance on Their Location Relative to the Andrews Curve , 1969 .

[30]  Eric M. Clementoni,et al.  Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Power Cycle Development Overview , 2012 .

[31]  S. Rayne.  Thermal Carbon Dioxide Splitting: A Summary of the Peer-Reviewed Scientific Literature , 2008 .

[32]  A. Chattopadhyay,et al.  Heat and Thermodynamics , 1952 .

[33]  Hee Cheon No,et al.  Physical model development and optimal design of PCHE for intermediate heat exchangers in HTGRs , 2012 .

[34]  Robbie McNaughton,et al.  Thermodynamic feasibility of alternative supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles integrated with an ejector , 2016 .

[35]  Yann Le Moullec,et al.  Supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles for coal-fired power plants , 2016 .

[36]  Neil E. Todreas,et al.  A Supercritical CO2 Gas Turbine Power Cycle for Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors , 2002 .

[37]  W. Wagner,et al.  A New Equation of State for Carbon Dioxide Covering the Fluid Region from the Triple‐Point Temperature to 1100 K at Pressures up to 800 MPa , 1996 .

[38]  Vaclav Dostal,et al.  High-Performance Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Cycle for Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors , 2006 .

[39]  Y. Jeong,et al.  Potential improvements of supercritical recompression CO2 Brayton cycle by mixing other gases for power conversion system of a SFR , 2011 .

[40]  Jeong-Ik Lee,et al.  Supercritical Carbon Dioxide turbomachinery design for water-cooled Small Modular Reactor application , 2014 .

[41]  Ricardo Vasquez Padilla,et al.  Exergetic analysis of supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles integrated with solar central receivers , 2015 .

[42]  Yiping Dai,et al.  Exergoeconomic analysis of utilizing the transcritical CO2 cycle and the ORC for a recompression supercritical CO2 cycle waste heat recovery: A comparative study , 2016 .