Nuclear energy as an alternative heat energy source for oil refinery

The study of high temperature nuclear heat application for oil refinery has been carried out. The goal of the study is to understand the characteristic and possibility of high temperature nuclear heat application for operation of oil refinery. In this study, the oil refinery plant with the capacity crude oil processing of 126 MBSD is used as a reference. It is assumed that high temperature of nuclear energy will supply steam and electricity to the plant, while the high temperature processes sill fossil fuel firing utilizing. Nuclear reactor that used in this study is small high temperature nuclear reactor HTR-PM250. Energy balance calculations indicate that thermal energie from nuclear reactor with thermal power of 250 MWt can be distributed as follow: 41,23 MWt to produce steam 1 (385°C, 40 kg/cm2, 55,6 ton/hr), 101,47MWt to produce steam 2 (360°C, 15 kg/cm2, 131,1 ton/jam), and 60 MWt to produce 24 MWe electricity. The rest, about 22,3 MWt is converted to electricity about 8,93 MWe, send to the public grid. Utilization nuclear energy to substitute steam and electricity production for oil refinery with capacity of 126 MBSD crude oil, give reduction of fossil fuel burning about 64,8 thousand ton/yr, equivalent to reduce CO2 emission about 182;4 thousand ton/yr. (author)