Capacity Optimization of Nuclear Power Integration to meet Dynamic Industrial Demand

Journal Article · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · Energy Conversion and Management: X

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecmx.2025.100991· OSTI ID:3028774

Williams, Logan David ^[1]; Mikkelson, Daniel Mark ^[1]; Rigby, Aidan C. ^[1]; Creasman, Sarah Elizabeth ^[1]; Curtis, Michael ^[2]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory
2. The Dow Chemical Company

To decarbonize their industrial facilities, The Dow Chemical Company has collaborated with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to study the integration of nuclear power with an industrial chemical facility. Using Holistic Energy and Resource Optimization Network developed at INL for optimizing and analyzing integrated energy systems, a nuclear microreactor system was sized and evaluated for dynamic dispatch to Dow Silicones Corporation’s Carrollton, KY (USA) site for iloxane production. It was found that a 180 MWth system (12 × 15MWth) with 75.1 MWhth of thermal energy storage could provide heat and power to the chemical facilities. In the process, this would reduce electricity imports by 99.9 % and reduce the Scope 1 and 2 emissions of the site by 292,100 tonnesCO2 /yr (98.8 %). The primary novelty of this work is a first of a kind design and optimization of a microreactor powered integrated energy system to provide heat and power to a chemical plant using real plant data. This analysis will pave the way for future studies using dispatchable clean energy sources to reduce carbon emissions and commodity industries’ reliance on fossil fuels.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 3028774
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU-24-82021
• Journal Information: Energy Conversion and Management: X, Journal Name: Energy Conversion and Management: X Journal Issue: 2025 Vol. 26
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 - GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
25 - ENERGY STORAGE
Chemical Plant
Combined Heat and Power
Integrated Energy Systems
Microreactor
Optimization