Comprehensive methodology for identifying tariff zones of efficiency of hydrogen-thermal accumulation system at the NPP

In countries with developed nuclear energy, there are problems associated with non-uniformity of the daily load, due to the economically justified need to load nuclear power plants with a maximum installed capacity utilization factor. This is due to the cheapness of nuclear fuel compared to organic and, at the same time, high investment compared to thermal power plants, as well as the presence of technological limitations on maneuverability. Most organic fuel thermal power plants are switched to semi-peak mode, which negatively affects their efficiency and reliability.
In addition, the ever-increasing requires on the level of safety negatively affect the economic competitiveness of nuclear power plants. Improving safety through the introduction of passive heat removal systems of the reactor core is provided for in new NPP projects. These systems have several disadvantages: maintenance costs; a significant increase in capital investment; emergency cooling mode.
To solve these problems, the authors developed a system of hydrogen-thermal accumulation, which, when combined with a nuclear power plant, allows one to accumulate cheap energy during the hours of a decrease in load in the power system due to electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, and thermal accumulation of hot water in heat-insulating tanks. Thanks to the use of hot water tanks, investment in the accumulation system is significantly reduced. Thanks to the use of a hydrogen-oxygen steam generator, the opportunity to generate an additional main steam and to use it in a additional steam turbine appears, which will allow to avoid costly modernization of the main equipment of the nuclear power plant and reducing its resource. The presence of a low-power steam turbine unit as part of the accumulation system ensure uninterrupted autonomous power supply to consumers of the NPP own needs due to the possibility of using the energy of the reactor residual heat, when the station is completely deenergized. The method of combining the hydrogen complex with thermal accumulators is completely new and has no analogues.
The economic efficiency of the developed energy complex has been investigated. The accumulated net present value was determined depending on the off-peak electricity tariff for the three options of the half-peak electricity tariff, taking into account possibility to refuse expensive heat exchangers of the passive heat removal systems. It is shown that the use of the proposed scheme is advisable in regions with off-peak electricity tariffs in the range 0-0.32 cents/kW*h, 0-0.8 cents/kW*h and 0-1.25 cents/kW*h, respectively, depending on the forecast dynamics of the halfpeak electricity tariff. The average payback period of the accumulation system for given conditions is equal to 3-12 years.

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