AN INNOVATIVE CONCEPT FOR MAXIMIZING THE USE OF COAL AND NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR CO-GENERATION APPLICATIONS

摘要

Despite the abundance in coal reserves in the world, coal-fired power plants are not the desirable long-term solution to the energy shortage in most nations, because of environmental and transportation difficulties. The consensus answer to energy shortage is generally the nuclear power. However, the nuclear power is inherently inefficient due to low temperature operations. Furthermore,1. All matured nuclear power plant technologies (PWR, BWR, WER, EPR, and CANDU) are too expensive for newly industrialized countries;2. None of the existing nuclear power technologies is well-suited for district heating applications required in many nations;.3. Currently unfocused nuclear power deployment could lead to unmanageable international nuclear regulatory nightmares at the best and could, at the worst, repeat the costly mistakes of the past.The prudent solution to world's energy crisis should address both the immediate need for electricity and the long-term need for an environmentally sound energy system capable of providing low cost electricity and district heating energy utilizing mainly indigenous energy resources (coal, uranium, and thorium). The new energy utilization system has to be environment friendly. A conceptual solution plan is the subject matter of this presentation. The concept calls for an innovative integration of coal gasification, gas turbine, steam turbine and an intermediate bulk coolant heating nuclear power technologies. The output of the nuclear-heated coolant is to cool the syngas output which is to drive the high temperature gas turbine generator. The waste heat from the gas turbine is recovered to drive the steam turbine. The exhaust steam from the steam turbine is used for district heating. The siting of the nuclear power plant is to be near the coal mines and water resources. Bulk of the electricity output is transmitted via HVDC lines to far away population centers. Excess coal gas from the gasification plant is to be piped to surrounding districts to drive remote combined cycle power plants. The thermal efficiency of power cycle can be over 50%. The overall energy utilization efficiency can be as high as 85% when district heating effect is included. An example of INCTES for China power/energy infra structure is briefly touched upon.