Improved Design and Economic Estimation of Cold-End Systems for Inland Nuclear Power Plants

Wenjie Zhang, Yushan Li, Peiqi Liu and Huimin Wei ()
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Wenjie Zhang: China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100822, China
Yushan Li: China Nuclear Power Engineering Co., Ltd., Beijing 100822, China
Peiqi Liu: Key Laboratory of Power Station Energy Transfer Conversion and System, North China Electric Power University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China
Huimin Wei: Key Laboratory of Power Station Energy Transfer Conversion and System, North China Electric Power University, Ministry of Education, Beijing 102206, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-31

Abstract: Reserve sites for coastal nuclear power plants are gradually being depleted, prompting a shift towards the development of inland nuclear power stations. A new cooling system based on the integration of multiple cooling sources using a hybrid dry–wet cycle is proposed to achieve a balance between energy and water consumption for inland nuclear power stations. Comparative studies among all the available cooling systems were further conducted to analyze the cooling performance and economic viability. The case study results indicate that, in comparison to relative humidity, the cooling performance and circulating water consumption of cooling systems are more susceptible to changes in dry-bulb temperature. In arid and water-scarce regions, a Combined Natural Draft Hybrid Cooling System generally exhibits a monthly average circulating water consumption rate that is more than 270 kg/s lower than that of the natural draft wet cooling system, with an average monthly back pressure reduction of 0.11 kPa. When the dry-bulb temperature exceeds 13 °C, the net profit of wet cooling surpasses that of hybrid cooling. However, this scenario undergoes a reversal as the dry-bulb temperature decreases and local water prices rise. It is emphasized that hybrid cooling demonstrates minimal impact when subjected to changes in environmental conditions, offering extensive regional applicability.

Keywords: natural draft hybrid cooling; inland nuclear plant; water/energy nexus; annual performance; economic analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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