Combined Cycle Driven Efficiency for Next Generation Nuclear Power Plants: An Innovative Design Approach

by Bahman Zohuri

Overview

This book explores combined cycle driven efficiency of new nuclear power plants, and describes how to model and analyze a nuclear heated multi-turbine power conversion system operating with atmospheric air as the working fluid. The included studies are intended to identify paths for future work on next generation nuclear power plants (GEN-IV), leveraging advances in natural-gas-fired turbines that enable coupling salt-cooled, helium-cooled, and sodium-cooled reactors to a Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycle (NACC). These reactors provide the option of operating base-load nuclear plants with variable electricity output to the grid using natural gas or stored heat to produce peak power. The author describes overall system architecture, components, and detailed modelling results of Brayton — Rankine Combined Cycle power conversion systems and Recuperated Brayton Cycle systems, since they offer the highest overall energy conversion efficiencies. With ever-higher temperatures predicted in GEN-IV plants, this book’s investigation of potential avenues for thermodynamic efficiency gains will be of great interest to nuclear engineers and researchers, as well as power plant operators and students.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319155593
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	03/15/2015
Edition description:	2015
Pages:	359
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

Dr. Bahman Zohuri is founder of Galaxy Advanced Engineering, Inc. a consulting company that he formed upon leaving the semiconductor and defense industries after many years as a Senior Process Engineer for corporations including Westinghouse and Intel, and then as Senior Chief Scientist at Lockheed Missile and Aerospace Corporation. During his time with Westinghouse Electric Corporation, he performed thermal hydraulic analysis and natural circulation for Inherent Shutdown Heat Removal System (ISHRS) in the core of a Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR). While at Lockheed, he was responsible for the study of vulnerability, survivability and component radiation and laser hardening for Defense Support Program (DSP), Boost Surveillance and Tracking Satellites (BSTS) and Space Surveillance and Tracking Satellites (SSTS). He also performed analysis of characteristics of laser beam and nuclear radiation interaction with materials, Transient Radiation Effects in Electronics (TREE), Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP), System Generated Electromagnetic Pulse (SGEMP), Single-Event Upset (SEU), Blast and, Thermo-mechanical, hardness assurance, maintenance, and device technology. His consultancy clients have included Sandia National Laboratories, and he holds patents in areas such as the design of diffusion furnaces, and Laser Activated Radioactive Decay. He is the author of several books on nuclear engineering heat transfer.

Table of Contents

Definitions and basic principles.- properties of pure substances.- Thermodynamic cycles.- Heat transport system thermal hydraulics.- Energy resources and the role of nuclear ebnergy.- newapproach to energy conversion technology.- Gas turbine working pronciples.- Open air brayton gas power cycle.- Modeling the open air nuclear recuperated btayton cycle.- Modelica programming a new approach in modelling of CHP.