Helium gas turbine

Eig. 8. Cost of electricity (COE) comparison where represents capital charges, Hoperation and maintenance charges, and D fuel charges for the reference cycles. A, steam, light water reactor (LWR), uranium B, steam, conventional furnace, scmbber coal C, gas turbine combined cycle, semiclean hquid D, gas turbine, semiclean Hquid, and advanced cycles E, steam atmospheric fluidized bed, coal E, gas turbine (water-cooled) combined low heating value (LHV) gas G, open cycle MHD coal H, steam, pressurized fluidized bed, coal I, closed cycle helium gas turbine, atmospheric fluidized bed (AEB), coal J, metal vapor topping cycle, pressurized fluidized bed (PEB), coal K, gas turbine (water-cooled) combined, semiclean Hquid L, gas turbine... 

The design simplification is built on the premise that all plant variants share a common reactor system, an aerodynamically and mechanically similar line of helium gas turbines used for electricity production and the IS process system for hydrogen production in a common plant arrangement as shown in Figure 4.20. Note that the hydrogen plant along with... 

The family of the GTHTR300 plant variants are based on three shared system technologies including reactor, helium gas turbine and, in the case of hydrogen production, the IS process system. This section discusses the underlying system designs and related research and development activities. 

Figure 12. Baseline design of GTHTR300 horizontal helium gas turbine in pressure vessel...

In the open cycle gas turbine, the turbine inlet temperature has been set to an elevated point of ISSO C and the pressure ratio to approximately 30 to improve the thermal efficiency. When this fact is considered, the output from the open cycle gas turbine can be approximately 3.53 times the output from the closed cycle helium gas turbine under the same base pressure condition. Meanwhile, the output from the closed cycle helium turbine can be raised to a level comparable to the output from the open cycle gas turbine by setting the base pressure at more than about 3.53 times the atmospheric pressure. 

C.F. McDonald, F.A. Silady, R.M. Wright, K.F. Kretzinger and R.C. Haubert,"GT-MHR Helium Gas Turbine Power Conversion System Design and Development", GA-A21617, GA Project 9819, March 1994. 

HIGH PRESSURE ROTOR FROM OBERHAUSEN II HELIUM GAS TURBINE... 

In 1991 GA decided to take a further development step in order to improve the economics but also the safety of such a Modular High Temperature Reactor Plant. This step lead to the introduction of the Helium Gas Turbine, directly combined with the Modular Helium Reactor. 

Germany - Oberhausen 2 - 1975 - 1987 - This 50 MW electric turbine plant represented the evolutionary step from fossil-fired gas turbines with air as the working fluid towards the realization of nuclear powered helium gas turbines. Helium was used as the working fluid in a closed-cycle process for electricity and heat production. The plant incorporated heat exchangers (recuperator, precooler, intercooler) of comparable size to those required for a 600 MW thermal GT-MHR. 

This reactor design also included two possible power cycles, a steam cycle at 540 C and a helium gas-turbine Brayton cycle at 870 C, both providing - 44% efficiency with present technology. 

All these reactors share the common feature of a dual coolant cycle, although the high-temperature reactor has the potential for operating on a direct cycle with a helium gas turbine. 

XrV-18] ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Helium gas turbine reactor technical challenges, a characterization for use in focusing R D resources, TP-114690, Palo Alto, USA (January 2000). 

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