In May 2010, General Atomics (GA) was awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project to develop the conceptual design for a steam-cycle modular helium reactor (SC-MHR) demonstration plant. The SC-MHR is a graphite-moderated, helium-cooled reactor that is designed to produce steam for industrial applications and/or electricity production using a Rankine cycle. The SC-MHR operates with a thermal power level of 350 MW and a coolant outlet temperature of 725°C. This paper provides an overview of the conceptual design of the SC-MHR reactor system (RS), including assessments of core performance in the areas of reactor physics and power distributions, temperature/flow distributions, fuel integrity, and fission product release.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Postulated air ingress accidents, while of very low probability in a modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), are of considerable interest to the plant designer, operator, and regulator because of the possibility that the core could sustain significant damage under some circumstances. Sensitivity analyses are described that cover a wide spectrum of conditions affecting outcomes of the postulated accident sequences, for both prismatic and pebble-bed core designs. The major factors affecting potential core damage are the size and location of primary system leaks, flow path resistances, the core temperature distribution, and the long-term availability of oxygen in the incoming gas from a confinement building. Typically, all the incoming oxygen entering the core area is consumed within the reactor vessel, so it is more a matter of where, not whether, oxidation occurs. An air ingress model with example scenarios and means for mitigating damage are described. Representative designs of modular HTGRs included here are a 400-MW(th) pebble-bed reactor (PBR), and a 600-MW(th) prismatic-core modular reactor (PMR) design such as the gas-turbine modular helium reactor (GT-MHR).

Hydrogen and electricity are expected to dominate the world energy system in the long term. The world currently consumes about 50 million metric tons of hydrogen per year, with the bulk of it being consumed by the chemical and refining industries. The demand for hydrogen is expected to increase, especially if the U.S. and other countries shift their energy usage towards a hydrogen economy, with hydrogen consumed as an energy commodity by the transportation, residential and commercial sectors. However, there is strong motivation to not use fossil fuels in the future as a feedstock for hydrogen production, because the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is a byproduct and fossil fuel prices are expected to increase significantly. An advanced reactor technology receiving considerable international interest for both electricity and hydrogen production, is the modular helium reactor (MHR), which is a passively safe concept that has evolved from earlier high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) designs. For hydrogen production, this concept is referred to as the H2-MHR. Two different hydrogen production technologies are being investigated for the H2-MHR; an advanced sulfur-iodine (SI) thermochemical water splitting process and high-temperature electrolysis (HTE). This paper describes pre-conceptual design descriptions and economic evaluations of full-scale, nth-of-a-kind SI-Based and HTE-Based H2-MHR plants. Hydrogen production costs for both types of plants are estimated to be approximately $2 per kilogram.

The coolant outlet temperature for the Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) was increased to improve the overall efficiency of nuclear hydrogen production using either thermochemical or high temperature electrolysis (HTE) processes. The inlet temperature was also increased to keep about the same _T across the reactor core. Thermal hydraulic analyses of the current MHR design were performed with these updated temperatures to determine the impact of these highter temperatures on pressure drops, coolant flow rates and temperature profiles within the vessel and core regions. Due to these increased operating temperatures, the overall efficiency of hydrogen production processes increases but the steady state reactor vessel temperature is found to be well above the ASME code limits for current vessel materials. Using the RELAP5-3D/ATHENA computer code, an alternative configuration for the MHR coolant inlet flow path was evaluated in an attempt to reduce the reactor vessel temperatures. The coolant inlet flow was shifted from channel boxes located in the annular region between the reactor core barrel and the inner wall of the reactor vessel to a flow path through the outer permanent reflector. Considering the available thickness of graphite in the permanent outer reflector, the total flow area, the number of coolant holesmore » and the coolant-hole diameter were varied to optimize the pressure drop, the coolant inlet velocity and the percentage of graphite removed from the core. The resulting thermal hydraulic analyses of the optimized design showed that peak vessel and fuel temperatures were within acceptable limits for both steady-state and transient operating conditions.« less

For electricity and hydrogen production, the advanced reactor technology receiving the most international interest is a modular, passively-safe version of the high-temperature, helium-cooled reactor referred to in the United States as the modular helium reactor (MHR).

Hydrogen and electricity are expected to dominate the world energy system in the long term. The world currently consumes about 50 million metric tons of hydrogen per year, with the bulk of it being consumed by the chemical and refining industries. The demand for hydrogen is expected to increase, especially if the U.S. and other countries shift their energy usage towards a hydrogen economy, with hydrogen consumed as an energy commodity by the transportation, residential, and commercial sectors. However, there is strong motivation to not use fossil fuels in the future as a feedstock for hydrogen production, because the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is a byproduct and fossil fuel prices are expected to increase significantly. For electricity and hydrogen production, an advanced reactor technology receiving considerable international interest is a modular, passively-safe version of the high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), known in the U.S. as the Modular Helium Reactor (MHR), which operates at a power level of 600 MW(t). For electricity production, the MHR operates with an outlet helium temperature of 850 C to drive a direct, Brayton-cycle power-conversion system (PCS) with a thermal-to-electrical conversion efficiency of 48 percent. This concept is referred to as the Gas Turbine MHR (GT-MHR). For hydrogen production, the process heat from the MHR is used to produce hydrogen. This concept is referred to as the H2-MHR.

The Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) is one of the advanced reactor concepts within the internationally- supported Generation IV program. Because of its design features and design maturity, the MHR was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as the U.S. Generation IV design concept for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP). Other countries, including Russia, Japan, South Korea, China, South Africa, and France are also developing this technology, and large-scale deployment of MHR technology is a realistic element of future energy-growth scenarios. In this paper, we discuss MHR conceptual designs for electricity and hydrogen production and their role in a sustainable energy future with significant growth in nuclear energy.

High temperature electrolysis (HTE) involves the splitting of steam into hydrogen and oxygen at high temperatures. The primary advantage of HTE over conventional low temperature electrolysis is that considerably higher hydrogen production efficiencies can be achieved. Performing the electrolysis process at high temperatures results in more favorable thermodynamics for electrolysis, more efficient production of electricity, and allows direct use of process heat to generate steam. This paper presents the results of process analyses performed to evaluate the hydrogen production efficiencies of an HTE plant coupled to a 600 MWt Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) that supplies both the electricity and process heat needed to drive the process. The MHR operates with a coolant outlet temperature of 950 C. Approximately 87% of the high-temperature heat is used to generate electricity at high efficiency using a direct, Brayton-cycle power conversion system. The remaining high-temperature heat is used to generate a superheated steam / hydrogen mixture that is supplied to the electrolyzers. The analyses were performed using the HYSYS process modeling software. The model used to perform the analyses consisted of three loops; a primary high temperature helium loop, a secondary helium loop and the HTE process loop. The detailed model included realistic representations of all major components in the system, including pumps, compressors, heat exchange equipment, and the electrolysis stack. The design of the hydrogen production process loop also included a steam-sweep gas system to remove oxygen from the electrolysis stack so that it can be recovered and used for other applications. Results of the process analyses showed that hydrogen production efficiencies in the range of 45% to 50% are achievable with this system.

The coolant outlet temperature for the Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) was increased to improve the overall efficiency of nuclear hydrogen production using either thermochemical or high temperature electrolysis (HTE) processes. The inlet temperature was also increased to keep about the same ® T across the reactor core. Thermal hydraulic analyses of the current MHR design were performed with these updated temperatures to determine the impact of these higher temperatures on pressure drops, coolant flow rates, and temperature profiles within the vessel and core regions. Due to these increased operating temperatures, the overall efficiency of hydrogen production processes increases but the steady state reactor vessel temperature is found to be well above the ASME code limits for current vessel materials. Using the RELAP5-3D/ATHENA computer code, an alternative configuration for the MHR coolant inlet flow path was evaluated in an attempt to reduce the reactor vessel temperatures. The coolant inlet flow was shifted from channel boxes located in the annular region between the reactor core barrel and the inner wall of the reactor vessel to a flow path through the outer permanent reflector. Considering the available thickness of graphite in the permanent outer reflector, the total flow area, the number of coolant holes, and the coolant-hole diameter were varied to optimize the pressure drop, the coolant inlet velocity, and the percentage of graphite removed from the core. The resulting thermal hydraulic analyses of the optimized design showed that peak vessel and fuel temperatures were within acceptable design limits for both steady-state and transient operating conditions.

For electricity and hydrogen production, the advanced reactor technology receiving the most international interest is a modular, passively safe version of the high-temperature, helium-cooled reactor referred to in the USA as the Modular Helium Reactor (MHR). Because of its ability to produce high-temperature helium, the MHR is well suited for a number of process-heat applications, including hydrogen production. Two hydrogen-production technologies have emerged as leading candidates for coupling to the MHR: (1) thermochemical water splitting using the Sulphur–Iodine (SI) process and (2) High-Temperature Electrolysis (HTE). In this paper, we provide an update on conceptual designs being developed for coupling the MHR to the SI process and HTE. These concepts are referred to as the SI-based H2-MHR and the HTE-based H2-MHR, respectively.

Process heat from a high-temperature nuclear reactor can be used to drive a set of chemical reactions, with the net result of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. For example, process heat at temperatures in the range 850°C to 950°C can drive the sulfur-iodine (SI) thermochemical process to produce hydrogen with high efficiency. Electricity can also be used to split water, using conventional, low-temperature electrolysis (LTE). An example of a hybrid process is high-temperature electrolysis (HTE), in which process heat is used to generate steam, which is then supplied to an electrolyzer to generate hydrogen. In this paper we investigate the coupling of the Modular Helium Reactor (MHR) to the SI process and HTE. These concepts are referred to as the H2-MHR. Optimization of the MHR core design to produce higher coolant outlet temperatures is also discussed.

Steam reforming of natural gas (methane) currently produces the bulk of hydrogen gas used in the world today. Because this process depletes natural gas resources and generates the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as a by-product, there is a growing interest in using process heat and/or electricity generated by nuclear reactors to generate hydrogen by splitting water. Process heat from a high-temperature nuclear reactor can be used directly to drive a set of chemical reactions, with the net result of splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. For example, process heat at temperatures in the range 850degreesC to 950degreesC can drive the sulphur-iodine (S-I) thermochemical process to produce hydrogen with high efficiency. The S-I process produces highly pure hydrogen and oxygen, with formation, decomposition, regeneration, and recycle of the intermediate chemical reagents. Electricity can also be used directly to split water, using conventional, low-temperature electrolysis (LTE). Hydrogen can also be produced with hybrid processes that use both process heat and electricity to generate hydrogen. An example of a hybrid process is high-temperature electrolysis (HTE), in which process heat is used to generate steam, which is then supplied to an electrolyser to generate hydrogen. This process is of interest because the efficiency of electrolysis increases with temperature. Because of its high-temperature capability, advanced stage of development relative to other high-temperature reactor concepts, and passive-safety features, the modular helium reactor (MHR) is well suited for producing hydrogen using nuclear energy. In this paper we investigate the coupling of the MHR to the S-I process, LTE, and HTE. These concepts are referred to as the H2-MHR.

High Temperature Gas Reactors (HTGRs) cooled by helium have the capability to develop high core outlet temperatures. The upper temperature bound of HTGRs designed and operated to-date is approximately 950 deg. C. But, the goal for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) is a mixed mean core outlet temperature of 1000 deg. C. The most limiting core design criteria governing core outlet temperature in HTGRs is diffusive fission product release from the fuel. For the reference TRISO coated particle fuel used by HTGRs, the rule of thumb for maintaining fission product releases low enough to meet regulatory limits, is a maximum peak fuel temperature for normal operation of about 1250 deg. C. The Gas-Turbine Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR), which employs a prismatic core design, has a design mixed mean core outlet temperature of 850 deg. C. Initial evaluations have been made for a core of the type employed by the GT-MHR to determine the feasibility of increasing the core outlet temperature to 1000 deg. C. The conclusion has been reached that design approaches are available for making the 1000 deg. C temperature potentially achievable, while still meeting peak fuel temperature limits albeit with reduced design margin. These potential design approachesmore » and their effects for achieving a 1000 deg. C core outlet temperature in a prismatic core design are described. (authors)« less