A Supercritical CO2 Gas Turbine Power Cycle for Next-Generation Nuclear Reactors

Abstract

Although proposed more than 35 years ago, the use of supercritical CO2 as the working fluid in a closed circuit Brayton cycle has so far not been implemented in practice. Industrial experience in several other relevant applications has improved prospects, and its good efficiency at modest temperatures (e.g., ∼45% at 550°C) make this cycle attractive for a variety of advanced nuclear reactor concepts. The version described here is for a gas-cooled, modular fast reactor. In the proposed gas-cooled fast breeder reactor design of present interest, CO2 is also especially attractive because it allows the use of metal fuel and core structures. The principal advantage of a supercritical CO2 Brayton cycle is its reduced compression work compared to an ideal gas such as helium: about 15% of gross power turbine output vs. 40% or so. This also permits the simplification of use of a single compressor stage without intercooling. The requisite high pressure (∼20 MPa) also has the benefit of more compact heat exchangers and turbines. Finally, CO2 requires significantly fewer turbine stages than He, its principal competitor for nuclear gas turbine service. One disadvantage of CO2 in a direct cycle application is the production of N-16, which will require turbine plant shielding (albeit much less than in a BWR). The cycle efficiency is also very sensitive to recuperator effectiveness and compressor inlet temperature. It was found necessary to split the recuperator into separate high- and low-temperature components, and to employ intermediate recompression, to avoid having a pinch-point in the cold end of the recuperator. Over the past several decades developments have taken place that make the acceptance of supercritical CO2 systems more likely: supercritical CO2 pipelines are in use in the western US in oil-recovery operations; 14 advanced gas-cooled reactors (AGR) are employed in the UK at CO2 temperatures up to 650°C; and utilities now have experience with Rankine cycle power plants at pressures as high as 25 MPa. Furthermore, CO2 is the subject of R&D as the working fluid in schemes to sequester CO2 from fossil fuel combustion and for refrigeration service as a replacement for CFCs.