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A supercritical carbon dioxide cycle for next generation nuclear reactors.

Author(s) : DOSTAL V.

Type of monograph: Doctoral thesis

Summary

A systematic, detailed major component and system design evaluation and multiple parameter optimization under practical constraints has been performed of the family of supercritical CO2 Brayton power cycles for application to advanced nuclear reactors. The recompression cycle is shown to excel with respect to simplicity, compactness, cost and thermal efficiency. Abstract from the table of contents: background and history (supercritical CO2 cycle: characteristics and variations; history; the revival); computational models (cycles code philosophy; heat exchanger subroutines; cycle routines); thermodynamic analysis of supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles; Brayton cycle without intercooling and reheating); compound Brayton cycles (pre-compression; partial cooling; partial cooling with improved regeneration; recompression; comparison of advanced supercritical cycle layouts); thermodynamic analysis of recompression cycle (pressure ratio studies; study of required heat exchanger volume; effect of minimum operating temperature; effect of maximum operating pressure and temperature; effect of primary system for intermediate heat exchanger pressure drop); indirect cycle (methodology; primary loop description; helium indirect cycle; lead alloy/CO2 indirect cycle); economic analysis (evaluation methodology; comparison of steam and helium Brayton cycles; cost of heat exchangers and turbomachinery; direct-cycle cost); component description and selected design issues (heat exchangers; turbomachinery design); reference cycle and plant layout (operating conditions and cycle characteristics; net efficiency estimation; supercritical CO2 power conversion unit layout); control scheme design for the recompression cycle; comparison with other advanced power cycles (supercritical recompression cycle vs. helium Brayton cycle; efficiency and system complexity comparison); summary, conclusions and recommendations for future work. This thesis can be downloaded from the Web site: echelon1.mit.edu/theses/dostal.pdf.

Details

  • Original title: A supercritical carbon dioxide cycle for next generation nuclear reactors.
  • Record ID : 2006-1011
  • Languages: English
  • Subject: Figures, economy
  • Publication: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nuclear Engineering - United states/United states
  • Publication date: 2004
  • Source: Source: 317 p. (21 x 29.7); fig.; tabl.; ref.; append.

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