Entire Power Plant Research Articles

Capital Cost System Optimization of OTEC Power Modules

Although the concepts of economic trade-off studies and optimization are well known, they are rarely used in large-scale design studies. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of a computer system optimization program for an entire power plant, the Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) power module. The design and cost algorithms are discussed in general terms with emphasis on how these pieces can be developed and simultaneously integrated into the system program. A comprehensive optimization routine is presented for this complex system. A procedure is presented by which the optimum system parameters can be checked to guarantee that they are the true rather than local optimum values. Finally, the impact of enhanced heat transfer surfaces is discussed, in terms of both cost and performance.

Cost optimization of vertical natural-circulation steam generators

A mathematical model for the cost optimization of U-tube vertical natural-circulation steam generators, used in pressurized-water nuclear power plants, is developed. The total annual cost function is expressed as a function of the heat exchange area and the pumping power. Parametric studies indicate that the global minimum cost is on the line of the lowest constant inside diameter and the lowest constant inside surface roughness. This mathematical formulation is useful for incorporation in the cost optimization of the entire nuclear power plant.