HTGR Knowledge Base

Conference Article: High Temperature Alloys for the HTGR Gas Turbine: Required Properties and Development Needs

R. Coutourier, C.Excaravage, CEREM, CEA-Grenoble, Grenoble, France. FRAMATOME-NOVATOME, Lyon, France

Abstract

Modern HTR nuclear power plants which are now under development (projects GT-MHR, PBMR) are based on the direct cycle concept. This concept leads to a more important efficiency compared to the steam cycle but requires the use of high performance components such as an helium/helium heat exchanger called recuperator to guarantee the cycle efficiency. Using this concept, a net plant efficiency of around 50 % can be achieved in the case of an electricity generating plant. As geometric constraints are particularly important for such a gas reactor to limit the size of the primary vessels, compact heat exchangers operating at high pressure and high temperature are attractive potential solutions for the recuperator application.
In this frame, Framatome and CEA have reviewed the various technologies of compact heat exchangers used in industry.
The first part of the paper will give a short description of the heat exchangers technologies and their ranges of application.
In a second part, a selection of potential compact heat exchangers technologies are proposed for the recuperator application. This selection will be based upon their capabilities to cope with the operating conditions parameters (pressure, temperature, flow rate) and with other parameters such as fouling, corrosion, compactness, weight, maintenance and reliability.

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key words: Gas Cooled Reactor, Nuclear Technology
Reference:
IAEA Technical Committee Meeting on “Gas Turbine Power Conversion Systems for Modular HTGRs”, held from 14-16 November 2000 in Palo Alto, California
International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria). Technical Working Group on Gas-Cooled Reactors
IAEA-TECDOC--1238, pp:161-173