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Division Spotlight
Operations & Power
Members focus on the dissemination of knowledge and information in the area of power reactors with particular application to the production of electric power and process heat. The division sponsors meetings on the coverage of applied nuclear science and engineering as related to power plants, non-power reactors, and other nuclear facilities. It encourages and assists with the dissemination of knowledge pertinent to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear facilities through professional staff development, information exchange, and supporting the generation of viable solutions to current issues.
Meeting Spotlight
Utility Working Conference and Vendor Technology Expo (UWC 2024)
August 4–7, 2024
Marco Island, FL|JW Marriott Marco Island
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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Jul 2024
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2024
Nuclear Technology
August 2024
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Taking shape: Fusion energy ecosystems built with public-private partnerships
It’s possible to describe fusion in simple terms: heat and squeeze small atoms to get abundant clean energy. But there’s nothing simple about getting fusion ready for the grid.
Private developers, national lab and university researchers, suppliers, and end users working toward that goal are developing a range of complex technologies to reach fusion temperatures and pressures, confounded by science and technology gaps linked to plasma behavior; materials, diagnostics, and electronics for extreme environments; fuel cycle sustainability; and economics.
Charles Forsberg, Per F. Peterson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 196 | Number 1 | October 2016 | Pages 13-33
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NT16-28
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The fluoride salt–cooled high-temperature reactor (FHR) with a nuclear air-Brayton combined cycle (NACC) and firebrick resistance-heated energy storage (FIRES) is a new reactor and plant concept. The development of a new reactor is a large undertaking that requires a strong commercial case and a strong basis for government support to enable commercialization. The goals are (1) increase plant revenue by 50% to 100% relative to base-load nuclear plants with capital costs similar to light water reactors, (2) enable a zero-carbon nuclear renewable electricity grid, (3) no potential for major fuel failure and thus no potential for major radionuclide off-site releases in a beyond-design-basis accident, and (4) offer a pathway to more advanced energy systems. The approaches to achieve those goals are described herein.
The FHR uses liquid-salt coolants originally developed for molten salt reactors (MSRs) where the fuel is dissolved in the coolant. However, in the FHR the fuel is not dissolved in the coolant. Instead, the FHR uses graphite-based high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) coated-particle fuel. This combination enables delivering heat to the power cycle between 600°C and 700°C that, in turn, enables the FHR to couple to NACC. Using an air-Brayton power cycle enables the FHR to operate as a base-load reactor and produce added electricity in a peaking mode with the addition of auxiliary heat (natural gas, stored heat, or hydrogen). The auxiliary heat-to-electricity production is a thermodynamic topping cycle with efficiencies of 66%. Because an FHR with NACC is more efficient in converting natural gas into peak electricity than a stand-alone natural gas plant (60%), it can economically compete with a natural gas plant for peak electricity production because it uses less fuel. NACC can also incorporate FIRES heat storage that enables buying electricity at low prices to later sell electricity at high prices. For every 100 MW(electric) of base-load capacity, the station output can vary from minus several hundred megawatts to +242 MW(electric) because of the capabilities of the NACC with FIRES. The FHR can be built in different sizes.
The use of high-temperature liquid-salt cooling and coated-particle fuel enables near-term reactor designs where large-scale fuel failure cannot occur, and thus, large-scale off-site releases of radionuclides cannot occur. Under extreme accident conditions decay heat can be passively conducted to the environment at temperatures below fuel failure temperatures and thus avoid the potential for large-scale radionuclide releases.
The FHR is the gateway technology to several advanced salt-cooled reactor systems that have additional capabilities. The MSR can be designed to enable breeding and actinide waste burning. New high-magnetic-field fusion systems may require liquid-salt cooling. The FHR would provide the required salt and power cycle technology for these advanced reactors. There are significant development challenges. The United States has a competitive advantage in developing the FHR because it leads in gas turbine technology, high-temperature materials, and HTGR fuels.