Variable and Assured Peak Electricity Production from Base-Load Light-Water Reactors with Heat Storage and Auxiliary Combustible Fuels

Forsberg, Charles W.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2018.1518555

Cited by 24 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Figure 10 shows the system design for variable electricity and heat with heat storage and assured peak generating capacity coupled to a nuclear reactor. 31,32 The same system design is applicable to other heat generating technologies including fossil fuels with CCS, CSP, geothermal, and future fusion machines. To minimize the cost of energy, the nuclear reactor operates at base load.…”

Section: Nuclear System Design With Energy Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Forsberg

2020

Nuclear Technology

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Energy markets are changing because of (1) the addition of nondispatchable wind and solar electric generating capacity and (2) the goal of a low-carbon energy system. The large-scale addition of wind and solar photovoltaics results in low wholesale electricity prices at times of high wind and solar output and high prices at times of low wind and solar input. The goal of a low-carbon energy system requires a replacement energy production system with assured peak energy production capacity. To minimize costs, capital-intensive nuclear reactors should operate at base load. To maximize revenue (minimize sales at times of low prices and maximize sales at times of high prices), the power cycle should provide variable heat and electricity. This requires the power cycle to (1) include heat storage that enables peak heat and electricity output that may be several times base-load reactor output and (2) provide assured peak power production. Assured peak power production requires the capability to efficiently burn lowcarbon fuels such as hydrogen and biofuels. Alternatively, nuclear systems with base-load reactors can be built to produce peak electricity and storable hydrogen for industry, biofuels, and other markets. All power reactors with appropriate system designs can meet these requirements. The lowest-cost technologies for heat storage, assured peak power production, and hydrogen production require high-temperature heat. This economically favors salt-cooled reactors with the average temperature of delivered heat of about 650°C versus heat delivered at lower average temperatures from other reactors such as light water reactors: 280°C, sodium-cooled reactors: 500°C, and high-temperature helium-cooled reactors: 550°C. Salt-cooled reactors include (1) Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactors (FHRs) with solid fuel and clean salt, (2) Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) with fuel dissolved in the salt, and (3) fusion reactors with salt blankets. Future energy markets, nuclear systems (heat storage, assured peak energy production capacity, and hydrogen production) designed for such markets and the power cycle technologies that economically favor salt reactors are described.

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Section: Nuclear System Design With Energy Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Forsberg

2020

Nuclear Technology

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“…These systems have a Brayton power cycle and a steam bottoming cycle. The technical advances in gas turbines enable NACC plants 2,3,[6][7][8][9] with thermodynamic topping cycles and integrated heat storage (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Air-brayton Power Cycles With Thermodynamic Topping Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…workshops7,8 have examined gigawatt-hour heat storage systems between nuclear reactors and power cycles to provide variable electricity to the grid California wholesale electricity prices March 31, 2019 (Ref 13…”

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Nuclear Air-Brayton Power Cycles with Thermodynamic Topping Cycles, Assured Peaking Capacity, and Heat Storage for Variable Electricity and Heat

2020

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Electricity markets are changing because of (1) the addition of wind and solar generating capacity and (2) the goal of a low-carbon electricity grid. The large-scale addition of wind and solar photovoltaics results in low wholesale electricity prices at times of high wind and solar output and high prices at times of low wind and solar input. Today, gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) plants burning natural gas or oil provide dispatchable electricity and provide the most economic method to match electricity production with demand. Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycles (NACCs) with heat storage and a thermodynamic topping cycle enable base-load nuclear plants with sodium or salt coolants to provide dispatchable electricity to the grid and heat to industry. This capability maximizes nuclear plant revenue and enables a base-load nuclear reactor with NACCs to be a low-carbon replacement for a GTCC. The NACC power cycle, alternative heat storage technologies, and development status of the different technologies are described. The technology applies to other heat generating technologies including hightemperature concentrated solar power and future fusion systems.

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“…• Heat Storage in Steam Cycles. There is ongoing work by universities, vendors, and utilities to incorporate heat storage with assured peak electricity-generating capacity into LWR steam cycles [Forsberg 2017b, Forsberg 2018a, Forsberg 2018b. The same systems apply to Gen IV reactors, except that one is using high-temperature rather than saturated steam.…”

Section: Technology Pathwaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This has major implications in terms of heat delivery to industry and electricity production, considering the system requirements for (1) heat storage, (2) assured peak electric-generating capacity and (3) ability to convert excess low-price electricity into high-temperature stored heat for later use. A recent report (Forsberg 2018b) reviewed heat storage technologies that couple to salt-cooled reactors and alternative power cycles. It provides additional information on salt-reactor storage options.…”

Section: Salt Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat Storage Options for Sodium, Salt and Helium Cooled Reactors to Enable Variable Electricity to the Grid and Heat to Industry with Base-Load Reactor Operations

Forsberg

Sabharwall

2018

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Electricity markets are changing rapidly because of (1) the addition of wind and solar and (2) the goal of a low-carbon electricity grid. These changes result in times of high electricity prices and very low or negative electricity prices. California has seen its first month where more than 20% of the time (mid-day) the wholesale price of electricity was zero or negative. This creates large incentives for coupling heat storage to advanced reactors to enable variable electricity and industrial-heat output (maximize revenue) while the reactor operates at base load (minimize cost).Recent studies have examined coupling various types of heat storage to Rankine and Brayton power cycles. However, there has been little examination of heat-storage options between (1) the reactor and (2) the power-conversion system or industrial customer. Heat-storage systems can be incorporated into sodium, helium-, and salt-cooled reactors. Salt-cooled reactors include the fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) with its solid fuel and clean coolant and the molten salt reactor (MSR) with its fuel dissolved in the salt. For sodium and salt reactors, it is assumed that a heat-storage system would be in the secondary loop between the reactor and power cycle. For helium-cooled reactors, heat storage can be in the primary or secondary loop.This report is a first look at the rational and the heat storage options for deploying gigawatt-watt hour heat-storage systems with GenIV reactors. Economics and safety are the primary selection criteria. The leading heat-storage candidate for sodium-cooled systems (a low-pressure secondary system with small temperature drop across the reactor core) is steel in large tanks with the sodium flowing through channels to move heat in and out of storage. The design minimizes sodium volume in the storage and, thus, the risks and costs associated with sodium. For helium systems (high-pressure with large temperature drop across the core), the leading heat storage options are (1) varying the temperature of the reactor core, (2) steel or alumina firebrick in a secondary pressure vessel and (3) nitrate or hot-rock/firebrick at atmospheric pressure. For salt systems (low pressure, high temperatures, and small temperature drop across the reactor core) the leading heat-storage systems are secondary salts. In each case, options are identified and questions to be addressed are identified.In some cases there is a strong coupling between the heat-storage technology and the power cycle. The leading sodium heat-storage technology may imply changes in the power cycle. High-temperature salt systems couple efficiency to Brayton power cycles that may create large incentives for the heat storage to remain within the power cycle rather than in any intermediate heat transfer loop.iv v CANES PUBLICATIONSTopical and progress reports are published under seven series:

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Variable and Assured Peak Electricity Production from Base-Load Light-Water Reactors with Heat Storage and Auxiliary Combustible Fuels

Cited by 24 publications

References 46 publications

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Nuclear Air-Brayton Power Cycles with Thermodynamic Topping Cycles, Assured Peaking Capacity, and Heat Storage for Variable Electricity and Heat

Heat Storage Options for Sodium, Salt and Helium Cooled Reactors to Enable Variable Electricity to the Grid and Heat to Industry with Base-Load Reactor Operations

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