High-performance aerodynamic design of supercritical CO2 centrifugal compressor for the Megawatt-class nuclear microreactor (MSC-GFR)

Abstract

Design of the SCO2 centrifugal compressor is critical for the fuel economy and power output of the nuclear microreactors. In this study, we developed a high-performance aerodynamic design & analysis platform (XJHPCCD) for real-gas centrifugal compressors. Based on the single-zone method, the platform realizes efficient and fast solution to the direct and inverse problems of centrifugal stages in real gases. Using the XJHPCCD platform, we performed a principal component analysis on the performance prediction errors in different combinations of the multiply expressed loss mechanisms. On the results of composite analysis, an optimal loss model was proposed regarding the hundred-kW SCO2 compressor in Megawatt-class microreactors. By coupling the optimal loss model in performance prediction, the errors of pressure rises were reduced from 5–10% to 3% for the Sandia’s verified model, greatly promoting the reliability of aerodynamic analyses. To demonstrate the engineering values of the specifically optimized toolkit, we numerically conducted a design research on the main compressor of a 1 MWt SCO2-cooled fast breeder microreactor (MSC-GFR). Results showed the XJHPCCD platform (coupled with the optimal loss model) has well satisfied the technical demands with high-performance aerodynamic design and low prediction errors. Thereby, it is proved that we have successfully proposed a specifically optimized aerodynamic toolkit for the component design of Megawatt-class microreactors.