Latest research & development in thermodynamic cycles and heat transfer in nuclear and thermal power industries

Abstract

It is well known that electrical-power generation is the key factor for advances in industry, agriculture, technology and the level of living. Also, strong power industry with diverse energy sources is very important for country independence. In general, electrical energy can be generated from: 1) burning mined and refined energy sources such as coal (40%), natural gas (23%), oil (4%), and nuclear (11%); and 2) harnessing energy sources such as hydro (17%), and biomass, wind, geothermal, solar, and wave power (all together about (5%). Today, the main sources for electrical-energy generation are: 1) thermal power – primarily using coal and secondarily - natural gas; 2) “large” hydro power; and 3) nuclear power from various reactor designs. The balance of the energy sources is from using oil, biomass, wind, geothermal and solar, and have visible impact just in some countries. The driving force in the power industry is thermal efficiency or just efficiency for some energy sources. Modern power plants have the following gross thermal efficiencies: Combined-cycle power plants up to 62%; supercritical-pressure thermal power plants ‒ up to 55%; subcritical-pressure thermal power plants ‒ up to 43%; carbon-dioxide-cooled and sodium-cooled reactors Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) ‒ up to 40 and 42%, respectively; and water-cooled reactors NPPs ‒ 30‒36% only. According to the thermodynamics higher thermal efficiencies correspond to higher temperatures / pressures. Therefore, the paper presents the current status of power plants and latest R&D in thermodynamic cycles and heat transfer in nuclear- and thermalpower industries.