HTS thermal storage peaking plant

A study was conducted to evaluate the use of the General Atomic Company (GA) high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) to generate intermediate load and peak power by using heat-transfer salt (HTS) thermal storage. The study investigated the technical and economic aspects of the conceptual design to confirm the system's viability for this application. Using a reference thermal power level of 2000 MW(t), preliminary system analysis was performed and a selection of the system configuration was completed. The approach to the study consisted of establishing a reference point by selecting a peaking capacity, duty cycle, and the thermal power split between the base load and peaking plant. The reference point design served as a basis for evaluating the technical and economic aspects of the system. Using the same salt storage loop and conversion system, the evaluation was extended to larger and smaller reactor sizes to assess economic attractiveness. Conceptual design data are provided for the major plant components. Preliminary cost estimates for the plant design and power costs were performed for the selected reference design