Gas Turbine Power Conversion Systems for Modular Htgrs
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IAEA-TECDOC-1238 Gas turbine power conversion systems for modular HTGRs Report of a Technical Committee meeting held in Palo Alto, United States of America, 14–16 November 2000 August 2001 The originating Section of this publication in the IAEA was: Nuclear Power Technology Development Section International Atomic Energy Agency Wagramer Strasse 5 P.O. Box 100 A-1400 Vienna, Austria GAS TURBINE POWER CONVERSION SYSTEMS FOR MODULAR HTGRs IAEA, VIENNA, 2001 IAEA-TECDOC-1238 ISSN 1011–4289 © IAEA, 2001 Printed by the IAEA in Austria August 2001 FOREWORD The IAEA has been fostering the exchange of information and co-operative research on gas cooled reactor technology with the guidance and support of the International Working Group on Gas Cooled Reactors since 1978. During the 1980s, interest and activities in Member States related to gas cooled reactor technology development shifted from the earlier large high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) plant design using prestressed concrete reactor vessels to small modular designs using steel reactor vessels. The modular HTGR concept originated in Germany in 1979, based primarily around the concept that by limiting thermal power and allowing sufficient heat losses from the reactor vessel, the key safety function of removal of residual heat could be accomplished without the need for active systems. The economic viability of the concept is based on the presumption that cost savings from system simplification can offset the small unit size. All of the early modular HTGR designs were based on a Rankine cycle with steam conditions similar to modern fossil plants, except without steam reheat. As the designs advanced, more detailed cost estimates indicated that the steam cycle modular HTGR may not be cost competitive. Optimization studies in the 1990s indicated that considerable cost savings could result from application of a closed A brayton cycle using advances in technology for open cycle gas turbines, compact heat exchangers, manufacturing and electronics. While the resulting gas turbine modular HTGR designs are based on existing technology, the specific configurations and operating environment differ considerably from existing applications. These differences introduce uncertainties and issues that must be understood and addressed in the course of development and deployment of the gas turbine modular HTGR concept. The information presented in this report was developed from an IAEA Technical Committee Meeting (TCM) on Gas Turbine Power Conversion Systems for Modular HTGRs, held 14– 16 November in Palo Alto, California, United States of America. The meeting was hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute and included participants from national organizations and industries in Member States. The TCM provided a forum for participants to discuss and share the status of their individual programmes associated with the design and analysis of systems and components for gas turbine modular HTGR power conversion systems. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was J.M. Kendall of the Division of Nuclear Power. EDITORIAL NOTE This publication has been prepared from the original material as submitted by the authors. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the IAEA, the governments of the nominating Member States or the nominating organizations. The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. The authors are responsible for having obtained the necessary permission for the IAEA to reproduce, translate or use material from sources already protected by copyrights. CONTENTS SUMMARY................................................................................................................................1 BACKGROUND AND SYSTEM DESIGN (Session 1) IAEA high temperature gas cooled reactor activities ...............................................................11 J.M. Kendall Development history of the gas turbine modular high temperature reactor .............................21 H.L. Brey Study on coupling a gas turbine cycle to the HTR-10 test reactor ...........................................45 Yuliang Sun, Yinguang Zhang, Yuanhui Xu Selection of JAERI’s HTGR-GT concept.................................................................................53 Y. Muto, S. Ishiyama, S. Shiozawa Features of adapting gas turbine cycle and heat exchangers for HTGRs .................................63 V.F. Golovko, I.V. Dmitrieva, N.G. Kodochigov, N.G. Kuzavkov, A.G. Chudin, A. Shenoy SYSTEM ANALYSIS (Session 2) Dynamics of a small direct cycle pebble bed HTR...................................................................77 E.C. Verkerk, A.I. Van Heek Transient behaviour and control of the ACACIA plant............................................................85 J.F. Kikstra, A.H.M. Verkooijen, A.I. Van Heek Performance review: PBMR closed cycle gas turbine power plant..........................................99 K.N. Pradeep Kumar, A. Tourlidakis, P. Pilidis COMPONENT DESIGN (Session 3) Study of fission product release, plate-out and maintenance in helium turbomachinery....................................................................................................115 Y. Muto, S. Ishiyama, S. Shiozawa Fission product transport in the primary system of a pebble bed high temperature reactor with direct cycle....................................................139 A.I. Van Heek, N.B. Siccama, P.H. Wakker Compact heat exchanger technologies for the HTRs recuperator application........................151 B. Thonon, E. Breuil High temperature alloys for the HTGR gas turbine: Required properties and development needs..........................................................................................................163 R. Couturier, C. Escaravage Nuclear graphite for high temperature reactors ......................................................................177 B.J. Marsden Auxiliary bearing design considerations for gas cooled reactors ...........................................193 S.R. Penfield, Jr., E. Rodwell LIST OF PARTICIPANTS.....................................................................................................209 . SUMMARY 1. OVERVIEW AND PURPOSE The Technical Committee Meeting (TCM) on Gas Turbine Power Conversion Systems for Modular HTGRs was held 14–16 November 2000 in Palo Alto, California, United States of America. The meeting was hosted by the Electric Power Research Institute, and was convened by the IAEA on the recommendation of its International Working Group on Gas Cooled Reactors (IWGGCR). The meeting was attended by 27 participants from 9 Member States (Argentina, China, France, Japan, Netherlands, Russian Federation, South Africa, United Kingdom and the United States of America). In addition to presentations on relevant technology development activities in participating Member States, 16 technical papers were presented covering the areas of: ● Power conversion system design ● Power conversion system analysis ● Power conversion system component design. Following the papers, a panel discussion was held on technology issues associated with gas turbine modular HTGR power conversion systems and the potential for international collaboration to address these issues. A summary of the presentations, discussions and recommendations will be prepared for use along with the papers presented in a TECDOC on the subject. A detailed report on the meeting is available. The purpose of this Technical Committee Meeting was to foster the international exchange of information and perspectives on gas turbine power conversion systems and components for modular HTGRs. The overall objectives were to provide: ● A current overview of designs under consideration ● Information on the commercial availability or development status of key components ● Exchange of information on the issues involved and potential solutions ● Identification of further development needs for both initial deployment and longer term performance enhancement, and the potential for addressing needs through international collaboration. 2. GAS TURBINE MODULAR HTGR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES The technology for open cycle gas turbines, applied primarily to the combustion of oil and natural gas, has advanced rapidly over recent years, driven by cost and performance competition and supported by advances in high temperature materials, fabrication techniques, engineering design tools, etc. Concurrent application of similar technological advances to heat exchangers has resulted in compact, low cost gas-to-gas units for an expanding range of applications. Advances in electronics support the development of magnetic bearings and introduce the possibility of other innovations, such as a high-speed turbo-generator with high power frequency converter. While these are proven technologies already in commercial application, they have not been combined as a system under the environmental conditions and design constraints relevant to a modular HTGR. 1 Modular HTGRs utilising closed cycle gas turbines for generation of electricity are a source of considerable current