Thermal Energy Storage Configurations for Small Modular Reactor Load Shedding

Journal Article · 02 March 2018 · Nuclear Technology

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1420945 · OSTI ID:1557661

Frick, Konor  ^[1]; Misenheimer, Corey T. ^[1]; Doster, J. Michael ^[1]; Terry, Stephen D. ^[1]; Bragg-Sitton, Shannon ^[2]

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1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
2. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

The increased penetration of intermittent renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar power can strain electric grids, forcing carbon-based and nuclear sources of energy to operate in a load follow mode. For nuclear reactors, load follow operation can be undesirable due to the associated thermal and mechanical stresses placed on the fuel and other reactor components. Various methods of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) can be coupled to nuclear (or renewable) power sources to help absorb grid variability caused by daily load demand changes and renewable intermittency. Two TES techniques are investigated as candidate thermal reservoirs to be used in conjunction with a Small Modular Reactor (SMR): a two-tank sensible heat storage system and a stratified chilled-water storage system. The goal when coupling the two systems to the SMR is to match turbine output and demand and bypass steam to the TES systems to maintain reactor power at approximately 100%. Simulations of IPWR dynamics are run in a high-fidelity FORTRAN model developed at NCSU. Both TES systems are developed as callable FORTRAN subroutines to model the time-varying behavior associated with different configurations of these systems when connected to the SMR simulator. Simulation results reveal the sensible heat storage system is capable of meeting turbine demand and maintaining reactor power constant, while providing enough steam to power four absorption chillers for chilled-water production and storage. Here,the stored chilled water is used to supplement cooling loads of an adjacent facility.

• 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: 1557661
• Report Number(s): INL/JOU-17-43134-Rev000
• Journal Information: Nuclear Technology, Vol. 202, Issue 1; ISSN 0029-5450
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English