A Supercritical CO{sub 2} Cycle- a Promising Power Conversion System for Generation IV Reactors
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)
Advances in power conversion systems (PCS) for Generation IV power plants are of high importance because of their impact on plant specific capital cost reduction, which can be more significant than the cost savings achieved through the modifications of the nuclear island itself. One such PCS candidate, especially attractive for reactor outlet temperatures in the range of 550 to 650 deg C, is applicable to lead-alloy, sodium, or liquid salt-cooled reactors, as well as direct-cycle CO{sub 2} cooled reactors. The efficiencies achievable in this medium temperature range exceed those of conventional Brayton cycles and supercritical steam Rankine cycles and are comparable to those of conventional helium Brayton cycles at turbine inlet temperatures of 800 to 900 deg C. The S-CO{sub 2} recompression cycle under evaluation at MIT, is described with its advantages, drawbacks and R and D needs. The cycle is shown to excel in efficiency, simplicity and compactness which projects to cost savings, and in lower sensitivity of efficiency to core bypass flow, component pressure losses and flow maldistribution in recuperators. On the other hand, the cycle is highly recuperative and thus requires very compact heat exchangers, poses challenges to design of piping for large units, and its control and part load operation is more complicated. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- American Nuclear Society, 555 North Kensington Avenue, La Grange Park, IL 60526 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21021104
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2006 International congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'06, Reno - Nevada (United States), 4-8 Jun 2006; Other Information: Country of input: France; 21 refs; Related Information: In: Proceedings of the 2006 international congress on advances in nuclear power plants - ICAPP'06, 2734 pages.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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