Masters Theses

Michael Corum

Date of Award

5-1991

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Nuclear Engineering

Major Professor

Paul R. Kasten

Committee Members

Marcia Katz, Laurence Miller

Abstract

Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTRs) are helium cooled, graphite-moderated advanced reactors that show potential for generating low-cost electricity and nuclear process heat. Before process heat applications might be realized, the VHTR's advantages must be verified while operating as an electricity producer; therefore, the VHTR must be economic compared to other sources of electricity. In this study, it is shown that the GT-VHTR appears to be economically competitive with contemporary methods of producing electricity. The most significant contribution to its economic viability appears to be made by the gas turbine and its associated components. Since the importation of oil has important economic and energy security implications, VHTR applications in areas pertinent to the transportation fuels industry could greatly benefit the United States. The U.S. currently relies on imported oil for over 50% of its petroleum needs and this dependence has a large negative influence on the country's balance of payments with other nations as well as its overall economic well-being. In order to gain the energy independence necessary to exert more influence on its own economic prosperity, it is critical for the United States to limit the amount of oil it imports. The VHTR can be a part of the long term solution to limit the amount of oil the U.S. imports. Initially, it can be used to decrease the amount of oil applied to the generation of electricity, and later, it can be substituted for oil as the process heat source in several applications. The applications considered for this study included; steam production in the precooler of the Gas Turbine VHTR (GTVHTR), for use in refineries: high temperature steam production in an intermediate heat exchanger of the Gas Turbine/Process Heat VHTR (GT/PH-VHTR), with energy transport by a thermochemical pipeline for use in refineries and Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operations; the production of hydrogen by the steam reforming of methane using the GT/PH-VHTR; and gasification of coal using the GT/PH-VHTR as a direct heat source. Except for the thermochemical pipeline for distributing energy over long distances, all these applications were found to be economic and practical for the VHTR within the 2005-2065 time-frame. In addition to helping reduce the United States' dependence on imported oil, this study shows that the VHTR can be used to significantly reduce future carbon dioxide emissions. It is evident that environmental considerations will increase in importance and will probably influence fuel production and use in the future. Based on this study, the VHTR can be used to alleviate oil import requirements and to limit global warming.

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