Design of a Nuclear Powered Total Energy System for Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Abstract
A Total Energy System (TES) is designed to supply the thermal and electrical energy requirements of Fort Bragg, North Carolina for a period of 30 years, with startup scheduled for early 1985. Considered for use as the central station power plant for this system are a combined coal gasification, fossil-fired gas turbine (CGGT) power plant and a direct Brayton cycle high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, helium gas, turbine (HTGR/GT) power plant. Several utility system configurations affording different thermal/electrical energy demand ratios are studied for each supply option. With the primary system optimization criterion being the choice of the TES providing a minimum of total energy costs over the system lifetime, it is found that the optimal thermal/electrical load split for each supply option occurs at approximately 75% of the base's total energy demands supplied thermally. Within the limits of the unit-cost assumptions made and for the range of cases studied, it is found that the present-worth total cost of the optimized HTGR/GT system (in 1985 dollars) is $245.7 million and the corresponding optimal system cost for the fossil CGGT alternative is $181.7 million. Further studies are recommended to investigate the sensitivity of this 26% cost differential to variations in the mode of power plant operation and to design modifications in the thermal energy distribution piping network. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 31, 1976
- Accession Number
- ADA031744
Entities
People
- Frederick R. Best
- John W. Stetkar
- M. W. Golay
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology