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Modular Nuclear Reactors
Published in Yatish T. Shah, Modular Systems for Energy and Fuel Recovery and Conversion, 2019
In the 1970s, General Atomics developed an HTR with prismatic fuel blocks based on those in the 842 MWt Fort St. Vrain (FSV) reactor, which ran 1976–1989 in the United States. Evolved from this in the 1980s, General Atomics’ Gas Turbine-Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) would be built typically at 350 MWt, 150 MWe. In its electrical application, each would directly drive a gas turbine at 47% thermal efficiency. It could also be used for hydrogen production and other high-temperature process heat applications. The annular core, allowing passive decay heat removal, contains graphite blocks with channels for helium coolant and control rods. Graphite reflector blocks are both inside and around the core. Half the core is replaced every 18 months. Enrichment is about 15.5%, burn-up is up to 220 GWd/t, and coolant outlet temperature is 750°C with a target of 1,000°C.
Modular Systems for Energy Conservation and Efficiency
Published in Yatish T. Shah, Modular Systems for Energy Usage Management, 2020
Schultz [46] of General Atomics outlined a modular helium reactor (MHR) to produce hydrogen. Selection of the helium gas-cooled reactor (GCR) for coupling with the S–I hydrogen production process allows us to propose a design concept and do preliminary cost estimates for a system for nuclear production of hydrogen. The latest design for the helium GCR is the gas turbine-modular helium reactor (GT-MHR) [9]. This reactor consists of 600 MWth modules that are located in underground silos. The direct-cycle gas turbine power conversion system is located in an adjacent silo. This new generation of the reactor has the potential to avoid the difficulties of earlier generation reactors that now have stalled nuclear power in the United States. The GT-MHR has high-temperature ceramic fuel and a core design that provides passive safety. A catastrophic accident is not possible. Under all conceivable accident conditions, the reactor fuel stays well below failure conditions with no actions required by the plant operators or equipment. By avoiding the need for massive active safety backup systems, the capital cost of the GT-MHR is reduced. The high-temperature fuel also allows high-efficiency power conversion. The gas turbine cycle is projected to give 48% efficiency. The high helium outlet temperature also makes possible the use of the MHR for production of hydrogen using the S–I cycle. By replacing the gas turbine system with a primary helium circulator, an IHX, an intermediate helium loop circulator, and the intermediate loop piping to connect to the hydrogen production plant, the GT-MHR can be changed into the “H2-MHR.”
Nuclear Power Technologies through Year 2035
Published in D. Yogi Goswami, Frank Kreith, Energy Conversion, 2017
Kenneth D. Kok, Edwin A. Harvego
GT-MHR: The gas turbine—modular helium reactor is a U.S. design with modules of 285 MWe each, generated by a directly driven gas turbine at a 48% efficiency. The reactor was being developed by General Atomics in partnership with Russia’s OKBM Afrikantov and supported by Fuji in Japan. The preliminary design stage was completed in 2001, but the program has stalled then.
Preliminary Neutronics Design and Analysis of the Fast Modular Reactor
Published in Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2023
Hangbok Choi, Darrin Leer, Matthew Virgen, Oscar Gutierrez, John Bolin
Table V presents summaries of the plant design parameters and reactor core physical dimensions. This table also compares the design parameters of the FMR to those of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) and conventional pressurized water reactor (PWR). The selected HTGR and PWR are GA’s gas-turbine modular helium reactor10 (GT-MHR) and the Westinghouse AP1000, respectively. The AP1000 is a water-cooled reactor working on an indirect steam cycle. The core power density and linear power of the fuel rod of the AP1000 are approximately five times higher than those of the FMR. The GT-MHR is a helium-cooled, direct Brayton cycle reactor like the FMR. The core power density is only 1/2 of the FMR power density, and the reactor core size is the largest.
An Experimental and Theoretical Examination of Air Ingress Rates During Small- and Medium-Break Air Ingress Accidents
Published in Nuclear Technology, 2022
Zachary Welker, Annalisa Manera, Victor Petrov, Paolo Balestra
The HAIRE facility is a 1/20th-scaled facility based on the General Atomics Gas Turbine–Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR) design.21 The facility is designed to replicate and scale the flow phenomena present in the volume between the reactor vessel and the reactor cavity, particularly near and at the crack, to better understand the flow phenomena that are present in medium-break (1 to 13 sq. in.) and small-break (<1 sq. in.) DLOFC and air ingress accidents.22 A detailed discussion of the scaling and design can be found in Ref. 23. An overview of the major geometric details and scaling ratios between the model (HAIRE) and prototype (GT-MHR) can be seen in Tables I and II. The ratios between the reference GT-MHR and HAIRE of the Reynolds, Froude, and Schmidt numbers were kept near unity for the design. These numbers were chosen since the goal was to preserve the flow phenomena related to the depressurizing jet, buoyancy-driven flow, and diffusion-driven flow.
Comprehensive review on cogeneration systems for low and medium temperature heat recoveries
Published in Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 2022
Narayanan Shankar Ganesh, Munisamy Omprakash
Wang et al. (2013) have reported high second law efficiency by the resorption cycle. The coefficient of performance of the proposed cycle is 10 times higher than that resulting from the Goswami cycle. Jiang et al. (2016) have claimed enough safety with the maximum amount of COP in a resorption cogeneration system. Zare, Mahmoudi, and Yari. (2012) have recovered waste heat from a gas turbine – modular helium reactor (GR-MHR) to run a combined power and cooling cycle. Producing power and cooling at low-temperature heat sources for the irreversible cycles have been proposed (Vidal et al. 2006). The cycle focuses on generating more power with a sizable quantity of cooling effect. With a minimum number of components combined power and cooling will be effectively achieved (Padilla et al. 2010). The superheater and rectifier are not necessary for the cycle to be considered for the highest power conditions resulting in lesser initial costs.