Exergy analysis of an operating boiling-water-reactor nuclear power station
Abstract
A Second Law analysis is performed on the LaSalle County Nuclear Station of the Commonwealth Edison Company to evaluate plant and subsystem irreversibility. The results disclose that over 80% of the exergy destroyed during plant operation is result of the highly irreversible fission and heat transport processes within the reactor vessel. Plant efficiency and effectiveness are found to be 34.4%, well below the 40-45% efficiencies of typical fossil-fuel-fired power generating stations. Based on these well-known numbers, and the results of the exergy analysis, one recommendation is to reevaluate the integration of fossil-fuel-fired superheat/reheat units located downstream of the reactor vessel. This modified plant configuration would not only improve efficiency by raising the top operating temperature, but it is also anticipated to reduce the irreversibility associated with heat transfer in the steam generators.
- Publication:
-
Energy Conversion and Management
- Pub Date:
- 1995
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0196-8904(94)00054-4
- Bibcode:
- 1995ECM....36..149D
- Keywords:
-
- Exergy;
- Second law analysis;
- Thermodynamics;
- Nuclear power;
- Boiling water reactors;
- Energy conversion