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Two steps forward for U.K. advanced nuclear
This week, two significant announcements have emerged from the United Kingdom’s advanced reactor sector.
On June 14, Rolls-Royce, the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that they had signed two trilateral memorandums of cooperation to collaborate on “advanced modular reactor (AMR) technology, specifically high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR), and the coated particle fuel these reactors will use.”
Separately, on June 16, Bellevue, Wash.–based TerraPower announced that its Natrium reactor design has been formally submitted for U.K. regulatory review. The company also announced the formation of a new subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd.
Junsoo Yoo, Su-Jong Yoon, Thomas E. O’Brien, Konor L. Frick, James E. O’Brien, Piyush Sabharwall, Carl M. Stoots (INL)
Proceedings | Advances in Thermal Hydraulics 2018 | Orlando, FL, November 11-15, 2018 | Pages 860-870
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is establishing the Dynamic Energy Transport and Integration Lab (DETAIL) as part of its commitment to research on nuclear-renewable hybrid energy systems and associated advanced reactor technologies. DETAIL is designed to allow several different energy systems to work in unison. Current plans include a PWR simulator, high-temperature steam electrolysis (HSTE) unit, and a renewable energy system (e.g., photovoltaics). DETAIL will provide the real world basis for studies on the systems integration and system configurations to be completed. Encompassed in the DETAIL program is the Thermal Energy Storage (TES) system. The TES system is one of the key components in DETAIL because it allows for the delayed release of energy and can be used to simulate storage capabilities currently being considered by utility providers. Of the various TES concepts, this paper deals with the single-tank packed bed TES system. Particular attention is given to the transient thermal behavior of fluid and solid particles within the packed bed thermocline tank and heat storage efficiency influenced by various design parameters. The effects of tank geometry (height-to-diameter ratio), filler size, filler packing ratio and operating temperature differentials are investigated. Based on the parametric study and cost analysis, the optimal TES tank design for DETAIL is discussed.