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Title: Thermal Energy Storage Configurations for Small Modular Reactor Load Shedding

Abstract

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 ismore » 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.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2]
  1. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
  2. Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
OSTI Identifier:
1557661
Report Number(s):
INL/JOU-17-43134-Rev000
Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC07-05ID14517
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Nuclear Technology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 202; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 0029-5450
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis - formerly American Nuclear Society (ANS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS; TES; SMR; IPWR; thermal energy storage; small modular reactor; integral pressurized water reactor

Citation Formats

Frick, Konor, Misenheimer, Corey T., Doster, J. Michael, Terry, Stephen D., and Bragg-Sitton, Shannon. Thermal Energy Storage Configurations for Small Modular Reactor Load Shedding. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1080/00295450.2017.1420945.
Frick, Konor, Misenheimer, Corey T., Doster, J. Michael, Terry, Stephen D., & Bragg-Sitton, Shannon. Thermal Energy Storage Configurations for Small Modular Reactor Load Shedding. United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1420945
Frick, Konor, Misenheimer, Corey T., Doster, J. Michael, Terry, Stephen D., and Bragg-Sitton, Shannon. Fri . "Thermal Energy Storage Configurations for Small Modular Reactor Load Shedding". United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2017.1420945. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1557661.
@article{osti_1557661,
title = {Thermal Energy Storage Configurations for Small Modular Reactor Load Shedding},
author = {Frick, Konor and Misenheimer, Corey T. and Doster, J. Michael and Terry, Stephen D. and Bragg-Sitton, Shannon},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1080/00295450.2017.1420945},
journal = {Nuclear Technology},
number = 1,
volume = 202,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {3}
}

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Design and Operation of a Sensible Heat Peaking Unit for Small Modular Reactors
journal, August 2018