scholarly journals Meeting the Needs of a Nuclear-Renewables Electrical Grid with a Fluoride-Salt–Cooled High-Temperature Reactor Coupled to a Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined-Cycle Power System

2014 ◽  
Vol 185 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Forsberg ◽  
Daniel Curtis
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power System ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Fluoride Salt ◽  
Electrical Grid ◽  
High Temperature Reactor

Neutronic Design Features of a Transportable Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaichao Sun ◽  
Lin-Wen Hu ◽  
Charles Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Peak Power ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Thermal Power ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Fluoride Salt ◽  
Control Rod ◽  
The Core ◽  
Liquid Salt ◽  
High Temperature Reactor

The fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) is a new reactor concept, which combines low-pressure liquid salt coolant and high-temperature tristructural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel. The refractory TRISO particle coating system and the dispersion in graphite matrix enhance safeguards (nuclear proliferation resistance) and security. Compared to the conventional high-temperature reactor (HTR) cooled by helium gas, the liquid salt system features significantly lower pressure, larger volumetric heat capacity, and higher thermal conductivity. The salt coolant enables coupling to a nuclear air-Brayton combined cycle (NACC) that provides base-load and peak-power capabilities. Added peak power is produced using jet fuel or locally produced hydrogen. The FHR is, therefore, considered as an ideal candidate for the transportable reactor concept to provide power to remote sites. In this context, a 20-MW (thermal power) compact core aiming at an 18-month once-through fuel cycle is currently under design at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). One of the key challenges of the core design is to minimize the reactivity swing induced by fuel depletion, since excessive reactivity will increase the complexity in control rod design and also result in criticality risk during the transportation process. In this study, burnable poison particles (BPPs) made of B4C with natural boron (i.e., 20% B10 content) are adopted as the key measure for fuel cycle optimization. It was found that the overall inventory and the individual size of BPPs are the two most important parameters that determine the evolution path of the multiplication factor over time. The packing fraction (PF) in the fuel compact and the height of active zone are of secondary importance. The neutronic effect of Li6 depletion was also quantified. The 18-month once-through fuel cycle is optimized, and the depletion reactivity swing is reduced to 1 beta. The reactivity control system, which consists of six control rods and 12 safety rods, has been implemented in the proposed FHR core configuration. It fully satisfies the design goal of limiting the maximum reactivity worth for single control rod ejection within 0.8 beta and ensuring shutdown margin with the most valuable safety rod fully withdrawn. The core power distribution including the control rod’s effect is also demonstrated in this paper.

An Air-Brayton Nuclear-Hydrogen Combined-Cycle Peak- and Base-Load Electric Plant

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Power Output ◽  
Nuclear Reactor ◽  
Peak Load ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Electricity Production ◽  
Spinning Reserve ◽  
High Temperature Reactor ◽  
Base Load

A combined-cycle power plant is proposed that uses heat from a high-temperature nuclear reactor and hydrogen produced by the high-temperature reactor to meet base-load and peak-load electrical demands. For base-load electricity production, air is compressed; flows through a heat exchanger, where it is heated to between 700 and 900°C; and exits through a high-temperature gas turbine to produce electricity. The heat, via an intermediate heat-transport loop, is provided by a high-temperature reactor. The hot exhaust from the Brayton-cycle turbine is then fed to a heat recovery steam generator that provides steam to a steam turbine for added electrical power production. To meet peak electricity demand, after nuclear heating of the compressed air, hydrogen is injected into the combustion chamber, combusts, and heats the air to 1300°C—the operating conditions for a standard natural-gas-fired combined-cycle plant. This process increases the plant efficiency and power output. Hydrogen is produced at night by electrolysis or other methods using energy from the nuclear reactor and is stored until needed. Therefore, the electricity output to the electric grid can vary from zero (i.e., when hydrogen is being produced) to the maximum peak power while the nuclear reactor operates at constant load. Because nuclear heat raises air temperatures above the auto-ignition temperatures of the hydrogen and powers the air compressor, the power output can be varied rapidly (compared with the capabilities of fossil-fired turbines) to meet spinning reserve requirements and stabilize the grid.

scholarly journals Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (FHR) for Power and Process Heat

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Forsberg ◽  
Lin-wen Hu ◽  
Per Peterson ◽  
Kumar Sridharan
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Fluoride Salt ◽  
High Temperature Reactor ◽  
Process Heat

An experimental test facility to support development of the fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor

2014 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 511-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graydon L. Yoder ◽  
Adam Aaron ◽  
Burns Cunningham ◽  
David Fugate ◽  
David Holcomb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Experimental Test ◽  
Test Facility ◽  
Fluoride Salt ◽  
High Temperature Reactor

Analysis of thorium and uranium based nuclear fuel options in Fluoride salt-cooled High-temperature Reactor

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 285-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
X.X. Li ◽  
X.Z. Cai ◽  
D.Z. Jiang ◽  
Y.W. Ma ◽  
J.F. Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fluoride Salt ◽  
High Temperature Reactor
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