Power Plant Design Research Articles

The EU DEMO staged design approach in the Pre-Concept Design Phase

This paper provides an overview of the methodology adopted within the EUROfusion framework covering the Pre-Concept Design Phase (2014–2020). The phase activities focused on advancing the technical basis of the design of the European DEMOnstration Fusion Power Plant (DEMO). The emphasis in the latter stages was placed upon an integrated design approach, based on systems engineering, providing a clear direction for urgent technology R&D and addressing the key design integration issues by assessing the critical systems interdependencies and uncertainties of certain design assumptions. The programme has continued to benefit from the ITER return of experience, in terms of design, licensing, and construction and DEMO will maintain a strong link with the ITER schedule in the coming design phases. The growing need for a structured and transparent review process gave rise to the introduction of a phase-gate review process, the implementation of which led to the first formal DEMO-wide gate review held at the end of the Pre-Concept Design Phase. The Gate Panel's recommendations provided clarity on the key priorities for the programme moving forward and serve to underpin the planning for the next phase.

Study on Micro-Structure and Tensile Mechanical Properties of Dissimilar Metal Weld Joint Connecting Steam Generator Nozzle and Safe-End

The safe-end of a steam generator (SG) nozzle dissimilar metal weld (DMW) for pressurized water reactors (PWRs) is the weakest point of failure which is crucial for the safe operation of a nuclear power station. Related to materials micro-structures, a uniaxial stress–strain relationship is the basic input parameter for nuclear power plant design, safety evaluation, and life management. In this paper, the micro-structure and tensile mechanical properties of a DMW of a European pressurized water reactor (EPR) were studied. Vickers hardness tester, optical microscope, and electron back scatter diffraction were used to analyze the micro-structure of the DMW joint. In addition, the residual strain of the DMW joint base material, heat-affected zone, weld metal, and fusion boundary region were studied. Based on digital image correlation (DIC) technology, tensile mechanical properties of the DMW joint were obtained. The results show that an accurate tensile stress–strain relationship of dissimilar metal welded joints can be obtained by using the DIC technique, the weld is the relatively weak link, and the residual strain is concentrated in the heat-affected zone. This study provides valuable engineering information regarding nuclear power plant design, in-service performance testing, and structural analysis and evaluation of welds containing defects.

Archimedes Screw Design: An Analytical Model for Rapid Estimation of Archimedes Screw Geometry

In designing Archimedes screws, determination of the geometry is among the fundamental questions that may affect many aspects of the Archimedes screw powerplant. Most plants are run-of-river and highly depend on local flow duration curves that vary from river to river. An ability to rapidly produce realistic estimations for the initial design of a site-specific Archimedes screw plant helps to facilitate and accelerate the optimization of the powerplant design. An analytical method in the form of a single equation was developed to rapidly and easily estimate the Archimedes screw geometry for a specific site. This analytical equation was developed based on the accepted, proved or reported common designs characteristics of Archimedes screws. It was then evaluated by comparison of equation predictions to existing Archimedes screw hydropower plant installations. The evaluation results indicate a high correlation and reasonable relative difference. Use of the equation eliminates or simplifies several design steps and loops and accelerates the development of initial design estimations of Archimedes screw generators dramatically. Moreover, it helps to dramatically reduce one of the most significant burdens of small projects: the nonscalable initial investigation costs and enables rapid estimation of the feasibility of Archimedes screw powerplants at many potential sites.

Effect of flow rate and SiO2 nanoparticle on dynamic corrosion behavior of stainless steels in molten salt for thermal energy storage

The effect of SiO2 nanoparticles and flow rate on the corrosion behaviors of 304 and 316 L stainless steels in quaternary nitrate-nitrite (QNN) molten salt are comparatively investigated. The results show corrosion of 304 and 316 L specimens in QNN with nanoparticles are lower than that in QNN. Compared to the corrosion weight loss (mmass) in QNN with nanoparticles, the mmass of 304 and 316 L in QNN is separately increased by 25.2% and 60.4% at 2 m/s after 1000 h due to the sedimentation of the nanoparticles. Besides, the mmass of 304 and 316 L specimens in nanofluids at 2 m/s are individually 16.8% and 13.8% higher than those at 0.6 m/s. The flow rate can rarely affect the types of oxidation products from XRD analysis. Meanwhile, the Rdepth of 316 L specimens is 58.1% lower than that of 304 specimens at 2 m/s in QNN salts-based nanofluids after 1000 h test. This work could provide basic dynamic corrosion data for design and operation of concentrated solar power plants.

Analysis of the Issue of Recovery of Low-Potential Energy at Small-Scale Energy Facilities

Studying the issues of recovery of low-potential energy at smallscale energy facilities allowed to show the promising character of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology as a technology for recovery or conversion of low-potential energy.The most promising developments in the field of the use and recovery of waste heat are described regarding application of ORC, which is widely used in geothermal sources, hot water boilers, gas turbine plants. Due to the constantly growing diversity of working fluids, ORC can be used within a wide temperature range from 100°C to over 350°C. Also, developments are underway in the design of ORC generators to increase reliability of its individual system units, such as turbines and expanders. Based on the above factors, it can be concluded that with a deeper study of the problems of adopting ORC technologies, they can become a very promising direction in development of heat power engineering.It has been determined that the main factor hindering the widespread adoption of the ORC technology is associated with high cost of heat exchange equipment due to increased heat exchange surfaces. It is shown that design of mini power plants and energy centres based on the use of low-potential energy requires improvement of mathematical modelling methods to reliably determine operating modes and characteristics of each of the units. Methods for modelling evaporation and condensation systems, including turbines and expanders using organic low-boiling working fluids, should be considered among the methods that are highly sought after. The methods for selecting a working fluid for ORC devices also have a significant impact on characteristics of the installation determining the range of cycle operating temperatures and pressures. The solution of the above problems can lead to a reduction in the cost of heat exchange equipment, and, consequently, to a decrease in costs for design of ORC generators.

The design and execution of a laboratory micro hydroelectric power plant

The paper presents a laboratory micro hydroelectric power plant destined to applicative activities. The hydraulic turbine is a Pelton turbine, rebuilt by fast prototyping in Geomagic Design X and printed on a 3 D printer. The turbine casing and the afferent elements are made in-house. The hydrogenator is synchronous being an alternator from a Dacia vehicle. The hydrogenerator load is constituted by 3 groups of light bulbs. We analysed the working of the micro-hydroelectric power plant in idle run and for different loads. As a result of the analysis we found out that it stably works for different loads and by its open construction it is useful for developing students’ ability to understand the phenomena. The installation designed and executed is useful for the engineering students as the pandemic forbids the thematical visits in hydro-energetic facilities.

Design Aspects of Small-Hydropower Plant

Presently, however, Hydroelectric is a source of power that can prove to be available to all, regardless of conditions such as weather. As history showed, a lot of development, as well as alterations, were made to this efficient supply of energy. Hydropower is a positive alternative energy source that nature provides, therefore, its effective usage is not prohibited. Although there are many disadvantages associated with the design and construction of a hydroelectric power plant, the advantageous features are even more enormous. This paper deals with construction and design aspects for the implementation of the small hydroelectric power station. The main parameters can be collected from the site. Then the turbine type and dimensions can be specified. The generator specifications,which is the main part in the system, for hydro-power stations can be obtained from the determination of turbine output power. These specifications involve mainly the rated power in KVA, the type of system, system frequency, the type of stator winding connection, rated load voltage, rated load current, load power factor, generator speed, method of the system cooling, and the generator type of excitation.

A New Sustainable and Novel Hybrid Solar Chimney Power Plant Design for Power Generation and Seawater Desalination

This study presents a case study of a novel hybrid solar chimney power plant (HSCPP) design’s performance in the city of Doha, Qatar. The HSCPP construction is similar to the traditional solar chimney power plant (SCPP) but with the addition of water sprinklers installed at the top of the chimney. This allowed the solar chimney (SC) to operate as a cooling tower (CT) during the nighttime and operate as an SC during the daytime, hence providing a continuous 24-h operation. The results showed that the HSCPP produced ~633 MWh of electrical energy per year, compared to ~380 MWh of energy produced by the traditional SCPP. The results also showed that the HSCPP was able to produce 139,000 tons/year of freshwater, compared to 90,000 tons/year produced by the traditional SCPP. The estimated CO2 emission reduction (~600 tons/year) from the HSCPP is twice that of the traditional SCPP (~300 tons/year). The results clearly show that the HSCPP outperformed the traditional SCPP.

Design of floating photovoltaic power plant and its environmental effects in different stages: A review

With the accelerated development of clean energies for carbon emission reduction, floating photovoltaic (FPV) has become an emerging solution. With its advantages of saving land, suppressing evaporation, and improving power generation efficiency, it has attracted the attention of the global clean energy field. According to the available surface area of artificial water bodies worldwide and system assumptions, the maximum global technical potential of FPV power plants is estimated to be 1000 GW. As FPV interacts tightly with the constructed water area, design of FPV is still lacking in theory, data, and experience. Environmental effects of FPV should also be clarified. This article introduces the current FPV power plant construction and future development trends. The site selection conditions of FPV power plant, the design elements of the upper power generation structure, and the overall characteristics of different types of lower floating structures are summarized. Finally, the complex interaction between the FPV power plant and the ecological environment is explained in terms of construction and operation. This review has a significant reference value for the design and construction of FPV power plants and the formulation of related construction codes.

Distributed electrical resources with micro hydroelectric power plants in Colombia — Study case

Energy coming from large hydroelectric plants is recognized worldwide due to the great environmental impact caused by the deviation of the rivers during the construction period and the dams while they are operating. This paper shows the design and construction of a micro hydroelectric power plant (MHPP) that was carried out in Cundinamarca Department, in Colombia, in order to analyze the feasibility of generating electric power with micro-power plant, which can be dispatched to the National Interconnected System, taking into account technical and economic aspects for the recovery of the investment. On the other hand, different scenarios are considered, such as self-consumption or the sale of energy to users of the rural sector that are close to the project, performing the financial analysis with economic indicators such as Internal Rate of Return, Uniform Annual Equivalent Cost and Net Present Value. These types of initiatives take special relevance in Colombia because the country issued Law 1715 of 2014, whose purpose is to improve energy reliability, it supports these kinds of projects with tax incentives such as: Discount of Value Added Tax (19%), 50% deduction of the income tax for up to five (5) years and elimination of the tariff levies for the equipment that make up the project. Based on the considerations above and because of the testing of the 24 kVA micro hydroelectric power plant, a paper that deals with the entire construction process of the micro-plant has been prepared, which includes: Flow capacity, turbine selection, selection of the generator, design of the electrical installations and commissioning to verify the effective value of the energy generated and the feasibility of being dispatched to the National Interconnected System.

Optimization of the Belinyu solar power plant to reduce emissions of waste gas in diesel power plant

The operation of a diesel power plant not only improves reliability but also has an impact on the environment in the Belinyu sub-district. The purpose of this PLTD development is to meet the increasing electricity demand. Environmental aspects in the construction of this PLTD include exhaust gas emission factors which are pivotal to notice. Meanwhile, this low emission power plant located next to the diesel power plant has not yet had an optimal operating pattern because there is no energy storage system. By optimizing the design of the solar power plant and optimization the operating pattern of the diesel power plant, it has the potential to reduce the operating hours of the diesel power plant engine as well as the potential to reduce exhaust gas emissions in the amount of 0.0060264 mn tons CO2/year.

Self-oscillations that cause the destruction of intermolecular bonds in the water coolant of a nuclear power plant

The digital acoustic model of a nuclear reactor (DAMNR) is presented as an auto-oscillatory system belonging to a special class of nonlinear dissipative systems capable of generating undamped oscillations. It is established that a water-water power reactor with a turbulent flow of a coolant is an open system of high complexity with a large number of elements, the connections between which are not predetermined, but probabilistic. Elements of the coolant circuit with negative dissipation (negative friction) are identified. It is shown that they self-organize chaotic turbulent pulsations and vortices into ordered wave oscillations, the frequency of which is determined by the Thomson (Kelvin) formula. In radio engineering circuits, an electronic self-oscillating generator with transformer feedback has similar properties. The presence of negative resistance in nonlinear dynamical systems leads to self-organization of chaotic turbulent perturbations and generation of self-oscillations in the form of acoustic standing waves (ASW). On the basis of theoretical and experimental data, the reliability of a previously unknown property of a reactor with connected pipelines - the ability to generate several ASW simultaneously-was confirmed. The use of DAMNR in the design and operation of nuclear power plants allows to identify the sources of ASW occurring in the coolant, the conditions for their occurrence and frequency.

Performance assessment of a 20 MW photovoltaic power plant in a hot climate using real data and simulation tools

The present study aims to evaluate the aptness of two commercial simulators, HOMER Pro and RETScreen Expert, as predictors of the performance of a large-scale photovoltaic power plant designed to deliver up to 20 MW in a hot climate, for which 26 months of real operational data are available. The power plant is located in the province of Adrar in the south of Algeria and classified as one of the hot regions worldwide. Performance parameters were reference yield, performance ratio, capacity factor, temperature loss and statistical indicators. The results showed that photovoltaic power plant performance depends on cell technology, insolation, and environmental conditions, especially temperature. The deviations between the simulation results and real monitoring data were found to be smaller in the case of HOMER Pro simulation tool. The total annual energy supplied in 2018 by the power plant was 36364MWh, whereas RETScreen Expert predicted 42339 MWh, or about 14% more and HOMER Pro predicted 34508 MWh or about 5.1% less. The influence of temperature on the power plant output was strong, causing a 40% drop during the summer, due to the limitations of the polycrystalline cell technology. This needs to be considered in the design of future photovoltaic power plants to be operated in hot climates. HOMER Pro and RETScreen Expert predicted an average annual final yield of 5.128 h/day, a module efficiency of 15% and an inverter efficiency of 98%. The t statistics were 3.75 for HOMER Pro and 6.12 for RETScreen Expert. The analysis shows that the 20 MW photovoltaic plant in hot climate experiences high losses compared to an equivalent plant based on thin-film photovoltaic cells.

Analysis of linkage type sea wave power plant design through motion study and 3D printed modelling

Sustainable energy generation is becoming increasingly important because of the expected limitations in current energy resources and for reducing pollution. Wave energy generation has seen significant developments in recent years. This research has produced a linkage-type PLTGL design that utilizes ocean waves to raise and lower the float lever and move the linkage mechanism which then causes a back and forth movement of the rack gear which will rotate the pinion and cause the dynamo drive shaft to rotate. Using ocean wave data in the waters of Tanjung Berikat, Bangka Tengah, and with the help of the SolidWorks application, this design is then simulated to determine the resulting movement and rotation. The rotation generated through the simulation can reach 532 Rpm with the assumption that it does not involve friction forces and material loads that exist in the PLTGL design. This design was made in 3D using the CR-10 V3 type 3D printing machine which produced a model with a scale of 25% of the original design. The model is used as a discussion material for designers to improve the design.

Technical and economic feasibility analysis of solar power plant design with off grid system for remote area MSME in Semarang City

The distribution of electricity from State Electricity Enterprise does not necessarily reach remote areas, so these areas require alternative sources of electricity, such as solar power plants. This study aims to design and analyze the potential of small-scale off-grid PV in terms of engineering and economics. The research method has used a simulation on PVSyst software with four components, namely solar panels and batteries. The research results were obtained based on four variations made: a 700Wp panel, a 24V 150Ah battery, and an 800W inverter. The design will produce electrical energy of 2 kWh/kWp/day with a total investment value of IDR 54,268,068 for a project period of 24 years. Compared to using a one kVA generator, the investment value was approximately IDR 208,575,063 for a 24-year project. Compared to batteries with the same specifications using a State Electricity Enterprise electricity charging source, the investment value for a 24-year project was IDR 81,036,162. NPV values in all variations obtained < 0, and PBP > the system project period. Thus, this system was considered not economically feasible and did not provide profit. Still, the off-grid solar power plant option was the most profitable than generators or battery power sources with State Electricity Enterprise charging.

ANALISIS PENGARUH PENAMBAHAN GEARBOX PADA TURBIN ARCHIMEDES SCREW UNTUK PEMBANGKIT LISTRIK TENAGA MIKRO HIDRO (PLTMH)

Utilization of irrigation flows as a source of electrical energy is not too much, because irrigation flows have low head heights so it's hard to do the design and type of power plant used. In addition, the water discharge in the irrigation canal is also a problem because the water seed in the irrigation canal is not always constant which is influenced by seasons and weather factors. In this study, we will discuss the effect of adding a gearbox to the Archimedes screw turbine on the output value of the generator such as electric current, voltage, efficiency, and torque. This micro hydro power plant uses an Archimedes screw turbine which has 9 blades with an angle of 24o and a blade thickness of 0.25 cm. on the gearbox used using a spur gear type which has a total ratio of 4: 9. The results of research conducted on irrigation lines in Munggu Village, Mengwi District, Badung Regency, got the highest rotation results, namely 160.7 rpm at the turbine, 882.4 at gearbox and 1013, 8 rpm on the generator. The highest voltage and current generated by the generator are 11.15 volts and 0.66 amperes. The torque obtained is 0.45 Nm and the highest efficiency is obtained at 0.00638%.

Ядерный терроризм: оценка опасности ударов АЭС с воздуха

The article analyzes the problem of possible threats with the use of aircraft captured by terrorists or controlled unmanned aerial vehicles in relation to nuclear energy use facilities. In the context of preventing acts of nuclear terrorism, the urgent task is to protect nuclear facilities from deliberate attacks by civilian airliners operated by terrorists. On the basis of the materials of publications, the influence of external extreme loads acting on the design of nuclear power plants, their features during the fall of aircraft of different types is studied. As a conclusion, the author notes that improving the safety of nuclear power plants and other radiation-hazardous facilities, minimizing possible consequences from aircraft strikes are important areas in risk management and their protection from acts of nuclear terrorism by combining organizational measures to combat terrorism and nuclear security measures.

Jet impingement in high-energy piping systems, part II: Model improvement and guidance development

The Standard model in ANSI/ANS-58.2 (1988) has been widely employed in the design and safety analysis of nuclear power plants for jet impingement under postulated pipe rupture accidents. However, the potential non-conservatisms presented in Standard Review Plan (2015) need to be addressed when evaluating this model. The current work aims to improve the model on jet prediction including jet geometry and stagnation pressure, as well as to address the potential non-conservatisms. Based on the model evaluation results in Part I, new correlations for the jet core length and stagnation pressure in subcooled water and saturated water/two-phase jets are implemented to replace the existing correlations in the Standard model. It is shown that the revised code with the newly developed correlations predicts the stagnation pressure generally higher or conservatively for all conditions investigated.On the potential blast wave effect, the current work develops an approach to quantify the over-static and reflected pressures using the equivalent weight of TNT approach in literature. To employ this approach, the released energy in the equivalent of TNT needs to be determined from jet impingement. This energy is calculated using the vessel burst energy concept with conservative assumptions in the current work. For jet geometry, dynamic models to predict the jet spreading angle for saturated steam jets are compared with the Prandtl-Meyer angle for under-expanded supersonic jets. It is found that the jet spreading angle for saturated steam jets in the Standard model generally agrees with the dynamic model in literature for a wide range of initial vessel stagnation pressure conditions. Regarding the pressure distribution within jets, it is confirmed that edge-peaking pressure profiles can be observed for saturated steam jets at far distances from the break plane (z > 3.3 D); however, the dimensionless pressures at these locations are generally less than 0.07. Regarding the jet dynamic loading effect, the literature review suggests that dynamic amplification and resonance of impinged downstream structures and components might not occur for jet impingement in nuclear power plants.

Design and 3E analysis of a hybrid power plant integrated with a single-effect absorption chiller driven by a heliostat field: A case study for Doha, Qatar

This study suggests a novel zero-emission combined cooling and power (CCP) system using a high-temperature solar field, i.e., heliostat reflectors and a central receiver as the heat supplier of the whole system. In addition to the solar field, the proposed system consists of a hybrid power plant comprising a closed Brayton cycle using helium gas and a Kalina cycle, and a cooling production unit through a single-effect absorption chiller. To ameliorate the technical contribution of the current research work, the system suggested here was considered for a case study in Doha, Qatar. Hence, a comprehensive parametric analysis taking into account the energy, exergy, and exergoeconomic (3E analysis) performance criteria based on crucial design parameters is conducted. Furthermore, the economic feasibility analysis of the system is carried out through appraising the net present value. Regarding the parametric analysis, the 3E criteria evaluated here exhibited more sensitivity to variation in heliostat field efficiency and helium turbine inlet temperature, respectively. Moreover, the baseline design mode demonstrated that the electricity was produced by 15.29 MW, the coefficient of performance (COP) of the cooling production unit was 0.812, and also the overall exergy efficiency and sum unit cost of products were obtained as 29.87% and 4.34 $/GJ, respectively. Likewise, for the electrical unit exergy cost of 0.05 $/kWh and cooling unit exergy cost of 0.08 $/kWh, the calculated net present value and payback period of the suggested system were correspondingly equal to 1.605×107 and 3.1 years.

Techno-Economic Analysis and New Design of a Photovoltaic Power Plant by a Direct Radiation Amplification System

Today, photovoltaic panels are used in various applications, and increasing their efficiency is of interest to many researchers. In this research, we try to increase the radiation density by increasing direct radiation to finally increase the energy production in photovoltaic power plants. The direct radiation amplification system is used to improve the photovoltaic efficiency. In this proposed system, energy and economics are analyzed by MATLAB software. Also, prototype testing and photovoltaic power plant testing are examined. The results show that by implementing this system in photovoltaic power plants, annual energy production can be increased. By adding this system to a photovoltaic power plant, the price of electricity produced in photovoltaic power plants will be increased from 13 ¢/kWh to 9 ¢/kWh, which shows a 31% reduction in the price of electricity per kilowatt-hour.