EP4616433A1 - Installation de cogeneration electronucleaire a reacteur a eau legere et systeme de capture de co2 atmospherique, ou de dessalement d'eau de mer sans prelevement ou rejet d'eau liquide dans l'environnement - Google Patents
Installation de cogeneration electronucleaire a reacteur a eau legere et systeme de capture de co2 atmospherique, ou de dessalement d'eau de mer sans prelevement ou rejet d'eau liquide dans l'environnementInfo
- Publication number
- EP4616433A1 EP4616433A1 EP23804960.5A EP23804960A EP4616433A1 EP 4616433 A1 EP4616433 A1 EP 4616433A1 EP 23804960 A EP23804960 A EP 23804960A EP 4616433 A1 EP4616433 A1 EP 4616433A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- heat
- reactor
- tank
- condenser
- cogeneration
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Pending
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Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21D—NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
- G21D9/00—Arrangements to provide heat for purposes other than conversion into power, e.g. for heating buildings
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- G—PHYSICS
- G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
- G21D—NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
- G21D5/00—Arrangements of reactor and engine in which reactor-produced heat is converted into mechanical energy
- G21D5/04—Reactor and engine not structurally combined
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
Definitions
- the present invention relates to the field of light water nuclear reactors (LWR), in particular pressurized water reactors (PWR).
- LWR light water nuclear reactors
- PWR pressurized water reactors
- the invention relates to cogeneration installations comprising such nuclear reactors.
- cogeneration we mean here and in the context of the invention, the simultaneous or non-simultaneous production of electricity and useful heat.
- the invention aims, at iso-service provided in terms of electricity production during the day, to recover all the heat in the primary circuit of a nuclear reactor and, consequently, to limit or even eliminate any environmental impact. of the reactor (withdrawals and discharges of liquid water into the environment).
- the invention applies to any nuclear reactor with indirect thermodynamic cycle of the family of so-called second, third, fourth generation reactors (GEN IV). It applies in particular to fast neutron nuclear reactors cooled with liquid metal, in particular liquid sodium known as RNR-Na or SFR (English acronym for “Sodium Fast Reactor”) and which is part of the GEN IV family of reactors. .
- ENR renewable energies
- a pressurized water nuclear reactor conventionally comprises three cycles (fluidic circuits) whose general principle of normal operation is explained below with reference to Figure 1. The temperatures and efficiency are indicated for illustration purposes.
- the primary circuit 1 is a closed loop fluid circuit mainly comprising the core of the reactor 2, at least one steam generator (GV), as an exchanger called primary exchanger 3 and a hydraulic pump 4 to circulate the heat transfer fluid which is water maintained in the liquid state within the operating temperature range of the reactor, typically around 320°C-330°C in normal operation.
- GV steam generator
- the high pressure water from the primary circuit draws the energy provided, in the form of heat, by the fission of the uranium nuclei, in the core of reactor 1.
- this water under high pressure and high temperature typically 155 bars and 320°C-330°C, enters the intermediate exchanger 3 and transmits its energy to a secondary circuit 5, also using water under pressure as closed loop heat transfer fluid.
- This secondary circuit 5 comprises the intermediate exchanger 3, a turbine 6 comprising a high pressure body 60 and a low pressure body 61, a condenser 7 and a hydraulic pump 8 to circulate the water in the form of steam as a heat transfer fluid .
- this secondary circuit 5 the water in the form of steam, at high pressure, typically at around 70 bars, is expanded in the high pressure body of the turbine, then superheated before continuing its expansion in the low pressure bodies 61
- the turbine drives an alternator 9 which produces electricity.
- the water from the secondary circuit is then condensed via the condenser 7 in a third cycle, the cooling cycle 10, as a so-called “cold” source.
- This cycle 10 mainly comprises humid air cooling towers 11, which are hollow towers in their center in which, naturally, a current of air is created entering the lower part and leaving the upper part. In passing, this air current takes the heat contained in the water in the cooling circuit and disperses it into the atmosphere in the form of a cloud of water vapor.
- the operation is reproduced constantly in which the water is distributed into fine droplets, which allows on the one hand a good exchange between the water and the air and therefore brings the water to a temperature close to that of the ambient air and on the other hand saturates the air flow circulating from bottom to top in the tower with water vapor.
- Part of the water flow evaporates in tower 11, the rest falls as rain in the basin located below the tower where it is pumped and returns to cool condenser 7.
- the evaporated water is replaced by so-called “environmental” tertiary water pumped upstream from a river, a river or a sea. This significantly increases the temperature of these watercourses, which in hot periods and/or low flow of these watercourses can lead to an operator of the nuclear installation to lower their power level, or even to stop them.
- thermodynamic efficiency of a PWR is of the order of 33 to 34%
- temperature of the water at the inlet of the condenser 7 is of the order of 20°C and 35°C upon exit.
- the principle of cogeneration from a nuclear reactor consists of modifying the design of the energy conversion cycle so that the heat is released to the cold source at a temperature which allows recovery. Indeed, limiting global warming involves minimizing heat losses at all levels and in particular at the cold source of a thermodynamic installation.
- This cogeneration objective becomes all the more relevant for a nuclear reactor as industrial or domestic heat is often obtained traditionally by burning fossil fuels responsible for greenhouse gas emissions.
- a first configuration consists of modifying the components of the electricity production system of a REP installation in order to adjust the water temperature at the cold source.
- this modification In a classic configuration, illustrated in Figure 1, this modification remains limited. It does not affect the high pressure turbine 60 but only the low pressure turbine 61 ensuring the Rankine cycle.
- This modification illustrated in Figure 2 consists of reducing the operating point P of the low pressure turbine 61 to a pressure of the order of one bar, instead of approximately 50 mbar, so that the water leaving the condenser has a sufficiently high temperature level, typically at 70°C, to be valued, for example in a heating network 12.
- This modification is accompanied first of all by a reduction in the electrical power produced, since the efficiency thermodynamic increases to 27%. There is also an increase in pressure in condenser 7.
- a second cogeneration configuration consists of taking heat, no longer at the cold source, but directly at the bodies 60, 61 of turbine 6, by drawing off hot steam: [3], [4].
- Patent application KR2021/0081846 also discloses a nuclear power cogeneration installation according to this second configuration: the secondary circuit of the reactor can, at the outlet of the turbine, send part of the steam to a heat storage tank and/or to a heat exchanger connected to an urban heat network.
- This second configuration illustrated in Figure 4, with a withdrawal S between the two bodies 60, 61 or within them has the advantage of having higher temperatures, typically beyond 100 ° C, by compared to those obtained when the heat is taken from the cold source. These higher temperatures are potentially compatible with industrial applications, without significantly degrading electrical efficiency if the thermal power drawn remains limited.
- This second configuration has the disadvantages of only authorizing limited withdrawals in terms of thermal power in order not to degrade the electrical efficiency in a prohibitive manner and not to limit the need for environmental liquid water for cooling the conversion circuit. The need for water and the associated discharges therefore remain very significant in this configuration.
- the first family concerns systems intended to improve the maneuverability of the reactor, that is to say aimed at making the electricity production of the reactor more flexible than it currently is, by temporarily increasing the level of electrical power supplied. to the network so as to adapt it to needs.
- these systems are implemented with electrogenerating reactors, but is also applicable to cogeneration reactors: [5], patent application JP2020197468A.
- This loop 13 respectively comprises the intermediate exchanger 3, two thermal storage tanks, one of which 14 is called hot and the other 15 is called cold, a steam generator 16 which allows heat to be exchanged between the storage loop. and the secondary circuit and thus produce steam for the turbines 60, 61 and finally two hydraulic pumps 17, 18 respectively between the hot reservoir 14 and the steam generator 16 and between the cold reservoir 15 and the intermediate exchanger 3 to set the heat transfer fluid in motion within this loop 13.
- the heat transfer fluid within this loop is advantageously a mixture of HITEC® molten salts with a composition of 53% KNO3, 40% NaNCh, 7% NaNCL.
- the temperature of this heat transfer fluid is 310°C within the hot reservoir 14 while it is of the order of 245°C in the cold reservoir 15.
- FIG. 6 also illustrates a system according to this second family, where the thermal power of the core is controlled by the electrical power requested by the network.
- a thermal storage tank 19 is arranged downstream of the condenser 7. This tank 19 makes it possible to store the water from the cold source at the outlet of the condenser 7, then to release it at another time. This configuration therefore makes it possible to use all or part of the waste heat from the reactor in addition to the electricity supplied to the network, and makes it possible to temporally decorrelate the supply of electrical power from thermal power.
- the heart cannot operate at base, the power produced at the heart therefore varies according to the electrical demand;
- the valued temperature remains very low, typically below 40°C, which limits applications
- the storage tank 9 being directly connected to the heat network 12, it must be of very substantial dimensions because the storage is at a relatively low temperature, typically 40°C;
- the aim of the invention is to meet this need at least partially.
- the invention relates, in one of its aspects, to a nuclear power cogeneration installation comprising:
- At least one nuclear reactor in particular pressurized water (PWR) or boiling water (REB), comprising: a first fluid circuit, called primary circuit, comprising at least one first intermediate heat exchanger; a second fluidic circuit, called a secondary circuit comprising at least one steam generator as a second intermediate heat exchanger, at least one turbine connected to the second heat exchanger, a condenser connected to the turbine and to the second heat exchanger, to cool the steam coming from the turbine and transform it back into water and return it to the second heat exchanger; an alternator mechanically coupled to the turbine, intended to be connected to an electrical network;
- PWR pressurized water
- REB boiling water
- a third fluidic circuit configured as a closed thermal energy storage loop, in which a heat transfer fluid circulates comprising: at least a first tank called a hot tank, connected to the first intermediate heat exchanger; at least one first hydraulic pump connected to the hot tank and to the second intermediate heat exchanger; at least a second tank called a cold tank, connected to the second intermediate heat exchanger; at least one second hydraulic pump connected to the cold reservoir and to the first intermediate heat exchanger;
- the heat exploitation system is a system for capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide CO2 and/or seawater desalination and/or a heat network. More generally, it can be any system using heat from the secondary circuit of the reactor which implements processes using heat, particularly for industrial operation.
- the installation further comprises a dry air cooling device connected by bypass to a connection to the heat operating system.
- the invention simultaneously allows:
- Kd nominal design operating rate
- availability coefficient independently of the power demands of the electrical network connected to the alternator
- the invention makes it possible to improve the safety of the installation by providing a device contributing to the Evacuation of Residual Power (EPUR) for periods of reactor shutdown.
- EPUR Evacuation of Residual Power
- the invention essentially consists of using in combination a thermal storage loop, arranged between the primary circuit and secondary circuit of a reactor with a heat exploitation system which can advantageously be a system for capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide and/or seawater desalination and/or a heating network, to the condenser of the secondary circuit.
- the resulting cogeneration installation is a system with total or almost total energy efficiency, meeting the flexibility challenges of the electricity network linked to the massive introduction of ENR and the challenges of climate transition by no longer requiring a power supply. water for cooling.
- the invention is a combination of the following means:
- thermal storage loop installed on site, between the primary circuit and the secondary circuit of a reactor, in particular PWR.
- This thermal storage loop makes it possible to no longer depend on the operation of the reactor to the needs of the electrical network. Thanks to the storage of thermal energy, the reactor operates at full power permanently, and the energy conversion system in the secondary circuit restores it according to the needs of the network (during the day), which increases the quantity of electricity sent to the network.
- the fact that the thermal power supplied during the day to the secondary circuit conversion system is greater than for an installation according to the state of the art and with a lower thermodynamic efficiency, may imply an oversizing of the steam generators and bodies. high pressure turbine, especially with a larger blade diameter).
- the sizing of the cold and hot tanks of the storage loop depends on the required temperature level.
- the volume of the tanks is advantageously between 10,000 m3 and 30,000 m3, the industrial feasibility of such tanks having already been acquired in view of what is practiced today in other industrial fields;
- thermodynamic Rankine cycle an increase in the temperature of the water at the condenser outlet of the secondary circuit, on the cold source side, up to a recoverable temperature, typically to be greater than 100°C for desalination or for the capture of atmospheric CO2, this which reduces the conversion efficiency of the thermodynamic Rankine cycle to the secondary circuit.
- This may advantageously involve a significant reduction, or even elimination, of the low pressure bodies of the turbine(s) and a modification of the design of the condenser, in particular by increasing its saturation pressure;
- - configuration A/ addition of a dry air cooling tower which eliminates the need for a water source for the waste heat evacuation process
- - configuration C/ connection to an atmospheric CO2 capture or seawater desalination system which makes it possible to recover all the thermal energy from the reactor not used for electricity production. The installation is in this configuration with total energy efficiency.
- the inventors overcame a technical prejudice which was based on considering that maximizing electrical production to make a nuclear power installation profitable always required designing the latter with the lowest possible cold source temperature level.
- the invention makes it possible to change the paradigm by demonstrating the capacity to produce cogeneration with very high energy efficiency.
- the inventors have also carried out a detailed analysis of the exergy of the different heat exploitation technologies, in particular the capture of atmospheric CO2. It showed that adsorption technologies require a supply of energy in the form of heat for the regeneration of substrates with temperature levels of around 70 to 100°C, depending on the different technologies already implemented. We can refer in particular to the figure in [9], making an inventory of the companies which operate and market installations implementing these technologies for several years with power levels of the order of MWth.
- the desorption temperature level can vary from 70 to 100°C.
- the invention makes it possible to recover the heat not used by the Rankine cycle, the electrogenerating efficiency of which is between 25 and 35% for a current PWR reactor, which corresponds to 65 to 75% of the thermal power of the core, currently unused, for the capture of atmospheric CO2 or seawater desalination.
- a nuclear cogeneration installation with a PWR nuclear reactor with a thermal storage loop and a CO2 capture system with a dry air-cooling device as a by-pass presents numerous major advantages, at isoservice rendered a daytime electricity production point of view, among which we can cite:
- each MW produced at the core is valued.
- the temperature Tl at the condenser inlet is preferably equal to at least 60°C and the condenser outlet temperature T2 is preferably equal to at least 70°C, advantageously between 70 and 100°C.
- each of the hot and cold reservoirs of the third fluidic circuit has a volume of between 10,000 m 3 and 30,000 m 3 .
- the heat transfer fluid of the thermal storage loop of the third fluidic circuit is a molten salt or a mixture of molten salts adapted to remain in the liquid phase over a temperature range going from 100°C to 350°C with a margin of 40°C compared to the maximum operating temperature of the thermal storage loop.
- the heat transfer fluid has the following chemical composition: 53% NaNCL, 40% NaNO 2 , 7% KN0 3 .
- the inventors were therefore confronted with an additional problem, which consists of temporally decorrelating the production of electricity and the production of heat, without degrading the performance and energy efficiency of the cogeneration installation as a whole.
- the cogeneration installation according to the invention advantageously comprises a fourth fluidic circuit configured in closed loop of thermal energy storage and heat distribution, in which a heat transfer fluid circulates, the fourth fluidic circuit comprising:
- a fourth tank called a cold tank connected to the condenser and to at least one heat exploitation system
- this mode makes it possible to operate the cogeneration installation by temporally decorrelating the production of electricity and the production of heat, while increasing both:
- the specific availability rate of the operating system(s) is(are) increased, the impact of accidental shutdowns of one of the systems on another , is reduced, the production of the operating system(s) can take place continuously;
- the temperature levels in the cold and hot storage tanks of this fourth fluidic circuit can be adjusted according to the temperature levels required by the operating system(s) supplied by the circuit heat transfer fluid.
- the thermal storage loop with the hot and cold reservoirs and which distributes heat to different heat operating systems makes it possible to address services and markets with various characteristics.
- the number of heat operating systems in parallel across the condenser can be high.
- the choice of the number and types of operating systems is advantageously made by seeking to optimize over the rolling 24 hours of a day of operation of the installation, at most, preferably all the thermal power of the nuclear reactor core which is not converted for the production of electricity.
- the aforementioned choice is judiciously made so as to evacuate as much as possible the power of the reactor not dedicated to the production of electricity towards the heat exploitation systems.
- the parallel installation of a dry air cooling tower advantageously makes it possible to achieve this objective.
- the heat operating system connected to the condenser terminals plays the role of cold source of the nuclear reactor, which no longer needs an environmental cold source, nor to cool the reactor , nor to reject excess calories. All the calories produced in the core of the nuclear reactor are recovered.
- the cold water reserve upstream of the condenser can in this configuration temporarily compensate for a loss of cold source to operate the reactor.
- Multi-Effect Distillation in English acronym MED
- flash distillation process staged Multi-Stage Flash distillation
- the energy conversion system of the cogeneration installation can operate completely independently of the heat exploitation system(s), both on the side of the hot source (reactor) and that on the side of the cold source (condenser terminals) and thus makes it possible to obtain both total flexibility in serving the electrical network and a maximum and optimized availability rate, with the consequences that this has on the economy of the reactor nuclear installation; - the possibility of positioning in parallel different systems for exploiting the heat from the nuclear reactor not consumed by the energy-to-electricity conversion system and therefore increasing the capacity to address energy markets and services with specific characteristics and profiles needs different from those of electricity;
- the heat transfer fluid of the thermal storage and heat distribution loop of the fourth fluidic circuit being water adapted to remain in the liquid phase over a temperature range going from 50°C to 100°C with a margin of 10 °C compared to the maximum operating temperature of the thermal storage and heat distribution loop.
- the temperature within the hot reservoir can be between 80 and 100°C while that of the cold reservoir can be between 60 and 80°C. Other temperature levels would be possible, beyond 100°C for example, but would require the use of other storage fluids.
- the hot and cold tanks are constituted by a single stratified thermal storage tank.
- stratified thermal storage tank we mean that the volume of heat transfer fluid contained in the thermal storage tank presents a temperature gradient between the two ends, lower and upper, of the storage.
- the volume of heat transfer fluid of the thermal storage tank can be divided into a multitude of superimposed thermal layers of heat transfer fluid having different and gradual temperatures from one of the storage ends to the other of the storage ends, these superimposed layers thus forming successive thermal strata.
- the single stratified thermal storage tank is a pit, preferably buried at least partly, filled with the heat transfer fluid. For a required temperature level below 100°C, the pit is advantageously filled with water in which thermal stratification occurs between a layer for example at 90°C and a cold layer for example at 50°C.
- each of the hot and cold reservoirs of the fourth fluidic circuit can have a volume of between 50,000 and 300,000 m 3 for a reactor power equal to 150 MWelectric.
- the turbine(s) is(are) free from low pressure body.
- FIG 1 Figure 1 schematically illustrates a configuration of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) operating solely as a power reactor according to the state of the art.
- PWR pressurized water reactor
- FIG 2 is a schematic view of a configuration of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) modified to operate as a cogeneration reactor according to the state of the art.
- PWR pressurized water reactor
- Figure 3 illustrates in the form of curves the evolution of the electrical efficiency and the exergy of a PWR reactor according to the state of the art as a function of the temperature of the cold source.
- FIG 4 is a schematic view of another configuration of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) modified to operate as a cogeneration reactor according to the state of the art.
- Figure 5 is a schematic view of a configuration of a cogeneration installation comprising a pressurized water reactor (PWR) and a thermal storage loop according to the state of the art.
- FIG 6 is a schematic view of a configuration of a cogeneration installation comprising a pressurized water reactor (PWR) and a thermal storage loop according to the state of the art.
- PWR pressurized water reactor
- FIG 7 is a schematic view of a configuration of a cogeneration installation comprising a pressurized water reactor (PWR), a thermal storage loop and an air-cooling device operating with dry air according to the invention.
- PWR pressurized water reactor
- FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a configuration of a cogeneration installation comprising a pressurized water reactor (PWR), a thermal storage loop and an air-cooling device operating with dry air according to the invention.
- PWR pressurized water reactor
- FIG 8 is a schematic view of a configuration of a cogeneration installation comprising a pressurized water reactor (PWR), a thermal storage loop, an atmospheric CO2 capture system and an operating air-cooling device dry air bypass of the atmospheric CO2 capture system according to the invention.
- PWR pressurized water reactor
- thermal storage loop an atmospheric CO2 capture system
- operating air-cooling device dry air bypass of the atmospheric CO2 capture system according to the invention.
- Figure 9 illustrates in graphic form the intra-day demand power curve of an electrical network, connected to a PWR reactor according to the state of the art.
- Figure 10 illustrates in graphic form the power curve of a PWR reactor in a cogeneration installation with a thermal storage loop according to the invention.
- FIG 11 illustrates in graphic form the relationship between sales of a standard SMR type reactor and an installation using an SMR reactor and an atmospheric CO2 capture system according to the invention as a function of the profit made on the sale of each tonne of CO2.
- FIG 14 graphically illustrates the power curve of a PWR reactor in a cogeneration facility with a first thermal storage loop and a second thermal storage loop which distributes heat to several operating systems of heat in parallel, according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention.
- the nuclear cogeneration installation according to the invention illustrated in Figure 8 comprises in addition to the usual components of an installation with a usual PWR reactor, a thermal storage loop 13 between the primary circuit 1 and the secondary circuit 5 as well as a CO2 capture system with a dry air cooling device 20 as a by-pass.
- the thermal storage loop 13 is a closed loop fluidic circuit in which a heat transfer fluid circulates from the intermediate exchanger 3 of the primary reactor circuit to a hot reservoir 14 then into a steam generator 16 and into a cold reservoir 15 to return to intermediate interchange 3.
- the circulation of the heat transfer fluid within the loop 13 is ensured by a hydraulic pump 17 downstream of the hot reservoir 14 and a hydraulic pump 18 downstream of the cold reservoir 18.
- the fluidic branches of the loop 13 are each constituted by a pipe of cylindrical section, with metal walls, resistant to chemical attacks from the heat transfer fluid at high temperatures, typically above 300°C and which is insulated from the outside with a high temperature insulation.
- the diameter of a pipe is calculated to allow all the thermal power to be evacuated with a maximum admissible limit flow speed of the heat transfer fluid, typically of the order of 5 to 10 m/s.
- the hot tank 14 makes it possible to contain the heat transfer fluid, to store all the heat recovered from the intermediate exchanger 3 and to supply the steam generator 16 with heat transfer fluid.
- the hot tank 14 can be of cylindrical shape whose walls are in metal resistant to chemical attacks from the heat transfer fluid at high temperatures, typically above 300°C and is coated with an external high temperature insulating layer to limit heat loss.
- the sizing (useful storage volume) of the hot tank 14 depends on the characteristics of the heat transfer fluid used: it must allow it to store at most all of the heat produced by the nuclear reactor over a rolling 24-hour period.
- the hot tank 14 is located at a distance, typically at a preliminary estimated distance of 60 m from the reactor enclosure with an intermediate embankment.
- the tank 14 can be equipped with a heat transfer fluid preheating system to guarantee that the fluid is maintained in the liquid state and/or with a level measurement system with alarm reporting and/or an overflow of safety device connected directly to the cold tank 15.
- the steam generator 16 produces steam for the turbines 60, 61, which is characteristic of a Rankine cycle with the operating methods of an electrogen cycle of the installation and must be able to operate according to the needs of the electrical network 21.
- the steam generator 16 is typically sized to evacuate 1.5 times the power of the nuclear reactor. It is specified that the turbines 6, 60, 61 are sized based on the peak steam flow rate produced by the steam generator 16.
- the hydraulic pump 17, like the hydraulic pump 18, is designed to operate at least at the availability coefficient Kd of the nuclear reactor and must be able to operate following the fluctuations in the electricity needs of the electrical network 21 to which the alternator 9 of the nuclear reactor is electrically connected.
- the flow rate of the pump 17 or 18 must allow, taking into account the heat capacity of the heat transfer fluid and the dimensioning of the steam generator 16, to supply the latter heat transfer fluid with a flow rate making it possible to respond to the power demands of the electrical network 21
- Each of the pumps 17, 18 has metal walls resistant to chemical attacks from the heat transfer fluid at high temperatures, typically above 300°C.
- Several pumps 17 or 18 can be positioned in parallel to distribute the pumping flow and a redundant pump can be provided for safety reasons.
- the cold tank 15 has substantially the same heat transfer storage volume as the hot tank 14, recovered from the steam generator 16.
- the cold tank 15 can be cylindrical in shape, the walls of which are made of metal resistant to chemical attacks from the heat transfer fluid. high temperatures, typically above 300°C and is coated with an external high temperature insulating layer to limit heat loss.
- the sizing (useful storage volume) of the cold tank 15 depends on the characteristics of the heat transfer fluid used: it must allow it to store at most all of the heat produced by the nuclear reactor over a rolling 24-hour period. For safety reasons, the cold tank 15 is located at a distance, typically at a preliminary estimated distance of 60 m from the reactor enclosure with an intermediate embankment.
- the tank 15 can be equipped with a heat transfer fluid preheating system to guarantee that the fluid is maintained in the liquid state and/or with a level measurement system with alarm reporting and/or an overflow of safety connected directly to the hot tank 14.
- the heat transfer fluid is of the molten salt type to remain in the liquid phase over a range of temperatures going from 100°C to 350° with a margin of 40°C compared to the maximum operating temperature)
- the salt will be of the following chemical composition: 53% NaNCL, 40% NaNCh, 7% KNO3 (HITEC® salt).
- the total volume of salt contained in the closed loop 13 is equal to the total volume of the cold reservoir 15 and the volume contained in the branches/fluidic pipes of the loop 13 to avoid any overflow or loading during operation.
- the electrical network 21 connected to the alternator 9 aims to transport and distribute electricity to end users according to their needs. This is a high-voltage electrical network operating according to power demands linked to electricity uses, which must be able to accept the peak electrical power produced by the cogeneration installation.
- the cogeneration installation comprises at least one cooling tower 20 called dry air, that is to say operating by dry air, connected in a closed loop to the condenser 7 of the secondary circuit of the reactor.
- This configuration subsequently called configuration A/, is illustrated in Figure 7.
- This cooling tower 20 will transfer the heat from the condensed water in the condenser 7 to the ambient air.
- the cooling tower 7 is dimensioned to evacuate the thermal power not consumed by the turbines 6, 60, 61 by bringing the water supplied from the condenser 7 to the lowest temperature level that the ambient air can allow by heating up so sensitive.
- the closed loop comprising the condenser 7 and the dry air cooling tower 20 is equipped with a pumping system for transporting the heat transfer fluid within it, this pumping system being able to be directly integrated into the tower 20.
- This configuration A/ aims for purely electrogenic operation with evacuation, by means of the dry air cooling tower 20, of the residual power not consumed by the electrical conversion system 6, 9.
- the installation is not with total energy efficiency but has the important advantage of producing more electricity during the day than a state-of-the-art REP reactor without requiring the withdrawal or discharge of liquid water into the environment.
- the dry air cooling tower 20 is connected by bypass to a connection to a system 22 for capturing atmospheric CO2.
- the installation operates according to configuration A/.
- This C/ configuration aims for operation with cogeneration with low temperature heat supply for an atmospheric CO2 capture system.
- This configuration C/ thus aims to recover all the thermal energy from the reactor not used for electricity production. In this C/ configuration, the installation is totally energy efficient.
- the entire cogeneration installation is configured to have, in the closed loop integrating the condenser 7 and the atmospheric CO2 capture system 22, a temperature Tl at the condenser inlet of at least 60°C and an outlet temperature T2 of the condenser 7 of at least 70°C advantageously between 70 and 100°C.
- the inventors have carried out dimensions of the cogeneration installation illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 respectively for configurations A/ and C/.
- sizings are based on the intra-day inrush power curve of a high voltage electrical network 21.
- the power curve can be simplified as in Figure 9 with a constant need in terms of power centered on the day over a duration of X hours, X being less than 24.
- the water entering a humid air cooling tower 11 is of the order of 35°C and 25°C in exit.
- the total power supplied daily to the network by the system will be:
- the energy conversion loop 5 implementing a Rankine cycle must therefore be dimensioned so as to evacuate all its power during the X hours of power demand from the network.
- PReactor (Wtll) K x S x TT Ln (5)
- the sizing of the components of the Rankine cycle in the secondary circuit 5 is dictated by the thermal power to be converted and the temperature at the terminals of the condenser 7.
- the temperature across the condenser 7 depends on the configuration A/or C/ envisaged.
- the sizing of all the components of the cycle is established using internal software, used under the name CYCLOP, qualified by the applicant for the steady-state sizing of a thermodynamic conversion cycle.
- CYCLOP used under the name of this software
- the use of this software is for example described in [3] or [10].
- the sizing can also be carried out using other commercial software, in particular that under the name THERMOFLEX®.
- the increase in temperature at the terminals of the condenser 7 simplifies the number of turbines 6 or even reduces their size by removing the low pressure bodies 61.
- the operating point of the energy conversion system in the secondary circuit is calculated with the CYCLOP software.
- thermodynamic efficiency 30.1%, which is degraded compared to a conventional PWR reactor configuration, for which the efficiency is of the order of 34%, due to the increase in the cold source temperature up to at 50°C;
- a total absence of need for liquid water for cooling since the cold source requirement corresponds to a temperature of 40°C, compatible with the use of a dry air cooling tower 20.
- This temperature level is achieved by modifying the pressure in the condenser 7, which increases from approximately 50 mbar to approximately 160 mbar. This is accompanied by a reduction in the dimensions of the low pressure turbine bodies 61, and a simplification of the condenser design.
- thermodynamic efficiency of 23.33%
- electrical power produced during the day of 33.50MWé for a reactor of 10OMWth, of which 14.4 are supplied to the CO2 capture system 22, and 19.1 are supplied to the electrical network 21;
- Table 2 summarizes the performance evaluations for the A/ and C/ configurations studied.
- the invention increases the economic competitiveness of a nuclear installation.
- the quantity of CO2 captured daily by a system 22 corresponds to the carbon footprint of a city of 125,000 inhabitant. This first estimate allows us to consider a possible role of nuclear coupling, in the configuration studied C/, in achieving the carbon neutrality envisaged for 2050.
- the graph in Figure 11 uses the figures from Table 2 above in the Cl/ configuration for an SMR type power reactor and simulates the economic impact of capture of CO2 compared to an evolving amount of the carbon tax in order to compensate for the loss linked to the sale of electricity.
- This configuration is subsequently called configuration D/.
- the cogeneration installation 1 includes all of the elements described in Figure 12, with in addition a fourth fluidic circuit configured as a closed loop for thermal energy storage and heat distribution 30.
- the thermal storage and heat distribution loop 30 is a closed loop fluidic circuit in which a heat transfer fluid circulates from the condenser 7 to a hot reservoir 31 then in one or more heat exploitation systems 22, 23, 24 in parallel and in a cold tank 32 to return to the condenser 7.
- the fluidic branches of the loop 30 are each constituted by a pipe of cylindrical section, with metal walls, resistant to chemical attacks of the heat transfer fluid and which is insulated from the outside for the branch connected to the hot tank 31.
- the diameter of a pipe is calculated to allow all the thermal power stored in the hot reservoir 31 to be evacuated in 24 hours with a maximum admissible limit flow speed of the heat transfer fluid, typically of the order of a few m/s.
- Each of the heat operating systems 22, 23, 24 is intended to produce a service in particular from thermal energy and consumes the thermal energy provided by the heat transfer fluid from the hot reservoir 31 by lowering its temperature. For example :
- - system 22 is a CO2 capture system
- - system 23 is an urban or industrial heating network
- - system 24 is a seawater desalination system.
- the hydraulic pump 33 is designed to operate at least at the availability coefficient Kd of the nuclear reactor and must be able to operate according to the fluctuations in the electricity needs of the electrical network 21 to which the alternator 9 of the nuclear reactor.
- the flow rate of the pump 33 or 34 must make it possible, taking into account the heat capacity of the heat transfer fluid and the temperature differential across the condenser 7, to evacuate all the thermal power, and to supply the systems 22 with heat transfer fluid, 23, 24 with a flow rate making it possible to respond to power demands from the electrical network 21.
- Each of the pumps 33, 34 has metal walls resistant to chemical attacks from the heat transfer fluid.
- Several pumps 33 or 34 can be positioned in parallel to distribute the pumping flow and a redundant pump can be provided for safety reasons.
- the cold tank 32 has substantially the same heat transfer storage volume as the hot tank 31, recovered from the condenser 7.
- the cold tank 32 is coated with an external high temperature insulating layer making it possible to limit heat losses.
- the cold tank 32 can be equipped with a level measurement system with alarm reporting and/or a safety overflow connected directly to the hot tank 31.
- the heat transfer fluid is water, taking into account the temperature levels required in loop 30 and for economic reasons. Other types of heat transfer fluid can be considered
- the total volume of water contained in the closed loop 30 is equal to the total volume of the cold reservoir 31 and the volume contained in the branches/fluidic pipes of the loop 30 to avoid any overflow or loading during operation.
- Figure 13 shows an advantageous variant where the hot 31 and cold 32 tanks are constituted by a single stratified thermal storage tank which, given the temperature level below 100°C, is a water pit in which a thermal stratification between a layer for example at 90°C and for example a cold layer at 50°C.
- the sizing power of the heat operating system 22, 23 connected to the condenser 7 according to the configuration D/ of the Figure 12 decreased by 33% (75 MWth instead of 112.5 MWth) for the same daily performance, which represents a considerable gain in terms of compactness, investment and operating costs.
- the following dimensioning aims to evaluate, on the basis of an example of coupling between the condenser 7 whose temperatures Tl, T2 at the terminals are respectively equal to 90°C and 70°C and an atmospheric CO2 capture system 22, the volume of stratified thermal storage 31, 32 which is necessary for a reactor of the small modular reactor (PRM) type (“Small Modular Reactor” in the English acronym SMR), according to a PWR technology whose power thermal is 540 MWth.
- PRM small modular reactor
- SMR Small Modular Reactor
- Configuration D/ of the installation is therefore compatible with existing technologies at a high level of technological maturity as well as with power levels of SMR type nuclear reactors.
- system 22 is a CO2 capture system. But we can also consider a seawater desalination system. Generally speaking, we can implement one or more heat exploitation systems connected in a closed loop and in parallel to the condenser of the secondary circuit of the reactor.
- the nuclear cogeneration installation which has just been described in relation to a pressurized water nuclear reactor can quite easily be implemented with all nuclear reactors with an indirect thermodynamic cycle, for which the heat production cycle and physically separated from the energy conversion cycle.
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
- Engine Equipment That Uses Special Cycles (AREA)
- Heat Treatment Of Water, Waste Water Or Sewage (AREA)
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Abstract
Description
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Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR2211535A FR3141795A1 (fr) | 2022-11-07 | 2022-11-07 | Installation de cogénération électronucléaire à réacteur à eau légère (REL) et système(s) d’exploitation de chaleur, notamment système de capture de CO2 atmosphérique, ou de dessalement d’eau de mer sans prélèvement ou rejet d’eau liquide dans l’environnement. |
| PCT/EP2023/080974 WO2024100030A1 (fr) | 2022-11-07 | 2023-11-07 | Installation de cogeneration electronucleaire a reacteur a eau legere et systeme de capture de co2 atmospherique, ou de dessalement d'eau de mer sans prelevement ou rejet d'eau liquide dans l'environnement |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| EP4616433A1 true EP4616433A1 (fr) | 2025-09-17 |
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ID=85726366
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EP23804960.5A Pending EP4616433A1 (fr) | 2022-11-07 | 2023-11-07 | Installation de cogeneration electronucleaire a reacteur a eau legere et systeme de capture de co2 atmospherique, ou de dessalement d'eau de mer sans prelevement ou rejet d'eau liquide dans l'environnement |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP4616433A1 (fr) |
| JP (1) | JP2025536607A (fr) |
| CN (1) | CN120380555A (fr) |
| FR (1) | FR3141795A1 (fr) |
| WO (1) | WO2024100030A1 (fr) |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR3165100A1 (fr) * | 2024-07-25 | 2026-01-30 | Commissariat A L' Energie Atomique Et Aux Energies Alternatives | Installation de cogénération électronucléaire à réacteur à eau légère (REL) à cycle de stockage thermique relié à un réseau de chaleur et agencé en parallèle thermique du cycle de conversion du réacteur. |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2297483A1 (fr) * | 1975-01-10 | 1976-08-06 | Orlov Viktor | Installation nucleaire de production d'energie |
| AT358226B (de) | 1977-01-14 | 1980-08-25 | Laing Nikolaus | Heizkraftwerk |
| JPS58216773A (ja) * | 1982-06-12 | 1983-12-16 | Ishikawajima Harima Heavy Ind Co Ltd | 原子力設備と海水淡水化装置との結合プラント |
| JP7334480B2 (ja) | 2019-06-04 | 2023-08-29 | 富士電機株式会社 | 高温ガス炉システム |
| KR102326658B1 (ko) | 2019-12-24 | 2021-11-16 | 한국수력원자력 주식회사 | 부하 추종 운전이 가능한 원전 열병합발전시스템 |
-
2022
- 2022-11-07 FR FR2211535A patent/FR3141795A1/fr active Pending
-
2023
- 2023-11-07 WO PCT/EP2023/080974 patent/WO2024100030A1/fr not_active Ceased
- 2023-11-07 CN CN202380085535.0A patent/CN120380555A/zh active Pending
- 2023-11-07 JP JP2025525829A patent/JP2025536607A/ja active Pending
- 2023-11-07 EP EP23804960.5A patent/EP4616433A1/fr active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2024100030A1 (fr) | 2024-05-16 |
| FR3141795A1 (fr) | 2024-05-10 |
| CN120380555A (zh) | 2025-07-25 |
| JP2025536607A (ja) | 2025-11-07 |
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