Thermal-Effeciency Analysis of Supercritical-Pressure Rankine Cycle

Abstract

Nuclear-power industry, which consists of 440 nuclear-power reactors, generates about 10.4% of the world electricity. The vast majority of these reactors are Light Water Reactors (369 in total), Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (49), and Light-water Graphite-moderated Reactors (10), which in total is 428 reactors or 97% of all reactors in the world. Unfortunately, thermal efficiencies of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) with these reactors are relatively low (i.e., 26 – 38%) compared to Combined Cycle (CC) and SuperCritical Pressure (SCP) Thermal Power Plants (ThPPs) (i.e., 62% and 55%, respectively). Therefore, to compete with ThPPs on energy markets NPPs with water-cooled reactors have to increase their efficiencies. The only proven way, based on more than 60 years of successful operation of SCP ThPPs, is to develop SC Water Reactors (SCWRs). The current paper is dedicated to this particular topic.