ENERGY EQUIPMENT OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS WITH HIGH-TEMPERATURE SMALL MODULAR REACTOR
Abstract
The selection of energy equipment is a crucial task in ensuring the high efficiency of energy facilities. Generation IV Modular Multi-Purpose Reactors (MMPs) are suitable for both civilian and defense applications. High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTGRs) provide unprecedented safety features along with significant economic and operational advantages. Electricity generation at nuclear power plants is primarily carried out using steam turbine systems, where a considerable amount of heat is released during the condensation process. The Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) employs various working fluids, including freons, aqueous ammonia solutions, pentane, isopentane, butane, and isobutane. In this study, calculations for the ORC were performed using R134a as the working fluid. The steam parameters at characteristic points of the cycle are determined using RefProp application. Several configurations of power systems incorporating steam turbine units were analyzed, including: a system without reheating, operating with subcritical steam; a system with reheating, utilizing both subcritical and supercritical steam; a system with a heating turbine; a turbomachinery-based system employing supercritical CO₂. Among the analyzed configurations, the turbomachinery-based facility utilizing supercritical CO₂ demonstrated the highest energy efficiency. Additionally, the integration of the ORC significantly enhances the overall efficiency of nuclear power plants. The energy efficiency of nuclear power plants employing steam turbine systems with water vapor ranges from 27% to 34.5%, with the highest efficiency (34.5%) achieved by a system incorporating a heating turbine. In contrast, a nuclear power plant equipped with a supercritical CO₂ turbine attains an efficiency of 46.5%, which exceeds that of steam turbine-based systems by more than 10%. The implementation of the ORC further contributes to the overall improvement of power system efficiency.
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