Dynamic modeling and simulation of nuclear hybrid energy systems using freeze desalination and reverse osmosis for clean water production

Abstract

Nuclear hybrid energy systems (NHES) are a viable option to combine renewable energy sources, such as wind, with a less fluctuating energy source. Given recent development and their inherent safer and modular design, small modular reactors (SMRs) can play an instrumental role in complementing renewables and supporting carbon-free power sectors in the coming decades. This study uses OpenModelica to model two types of NHES to produce clean energy and water, both powered by SMRs and wind turbines. The first system uses freeze desalination (FD), and the second system uses reverse osmosis (RO) to generate clean water. Both systems are simulated using input data for Salt Lake City, Utah on a hot summer day. The number of SMRs and wind turbines are set so as to meet the power demand for the city. The FD system was able to boost the power production by about 12% by making the steam cycle over 2% more efficient. This allows the system to meet the power demand during peak hours. Although the RO system underperformed in meeting the power demand during the peak hours, it was able to generate approximately six times the amount of clean water as generated by the FD system.