Introduces the concept of combined cycles for next generation nuclear power plants explaining
how recent advances in gas turbines have made these systems increasingly desirable for
efficiency gains and cost-of-ownership reduction. Promulgates modelling and analysis techniques
to identify opportunities for increased thermodynamic efficiency and decreased water usage over
current Light Water Reactor (LWR) systems. Examines all power conversion aspects from the
fluid exiting the reactor to energy releases into the environment with special focus on heat
exchangers and turbo-machinery. Provides examples of small projects to facilitate nuanced
understanding of the theories and implementation of combined-cycle nuclear plants.This book
explores combined cycle driven efficiency of new nuclear power plants and describes how to
model and analyze a nuclear heated multi-turbine power conversion system operating with
atmospheric air as the working fluid. The included studies areintended to identify paths for
future work on next generation nuclear power plants (GEN-IV) leveraging advances in
natural-gas-fired turbines that enable coupling salt-cooled helium-cooled and sodium-cooled
reactors to a Nuclear Air-Brayton Combined Cycle (NACC). These reactors provide the option of
operating base-load nuclear plants with variable electricity output to the grid using natural
gas or stored heat to produce peak power. The author describes overall system architecture
components and detailed modelling results of Brayton-Rankine Combined Cycle power conversion
systems and Recuperated Brayton Cycle systems since they offer the highest overall energy
conversion efficiencies. With ever-higher temperatures predicted in GEN-IV plants this book's
investigation of potential avenues for thermodynamic efficiency gains will be of great interest
to nuclear engineers and researchers as well as power plant operators and students.
