| Nuclear power plants (NPPs) are considering flexible plant operations to take advantage of excess thermal and electrical energy. One option for NPPs is to pursue hydrogen production through high temperature electrolysis as an alternate revenue stream to remain economically viable. The intent of this study is to investigate the risk of a 100 MW hydrogen production facility in close proximity to an NPP. Previous analyses have evaluated preliminary designs of a hydrogen production facility in a conservative manner to determine if it is feasible to co-locate the facility within 1 km of an NPP. This analysis specifically evaluates the risk components of a 100 MW hydrogen production facility design, including the likelihood of a leak within the system and the associated consequence to critical NPP targets. This analysis shows that although the likelihood of a leak in an HTEF is not negligible, the consequence to critical NPP targets is not expected to lead to a failure given adequate distance from the plant. | Risk Analysis of a 100 MW Hydrogen Generation Facility near a Nuclear Power Plant, SAND2023-04192 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 5/25/2023 | Design and Economics | 5/25/2023 1:57 PM | |
| Computer modeling was performed for the thermal and electrical designs. The steady-state parameters for thermal extraction from the turbine cycle were determined using PEPSE, which is a software program for analyzing the steady-state thermal cycle performance of electric generating plants. | Preconceptual Designs of Coupled Power Delivery between a 4-Loop PWR and 100-500 MWe HTSE Plants, INL/RPT-23-71939 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 4/28/2023 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 5/12/2023 9:36 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| This report summarizes progress in developing and testing full-scope NPP simulators at the INL HSSL that are being used to test operating concepts, address human factors, and prove the NPP operators can reliably and safely dispatch thermal and electrical power to a hydrogen plant. Development and testing of NPP simulators address two principal LWRS needs. | NPP Simulators for Coupled Thermal and Electric Power Dispatch, INL/RPT-22-70545 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/22/2022 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 1/17/2023 3:49 PM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| This report documents the implementation of a data link between the INL HSSL and the INL Energy Systems Laboratory connecting a small-scale high-temperature electrolysis pilot plant and an electricity grid simulation capability. This connection enables virtual/physical co-simulation of an NPP to help develop operating concepts and control systems that will enable nuclear plant operators to dispatch thermal energy and electrical power between a close-coupled hydrogen plant, the electricity grid, or energy storage buffers that can be used for power arbitrage. | Co-simulation of Hydrogen Production with Nuclear Power Plants, INL/RPT-22-70457 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/20/2022 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 12/20/2022 10:47 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| This report summarizes progress in developing and testing full-scope NPP simulators at the Idaho Nation Laboratory (INL) Human Systems Simulation Lab (HSSL) that are being used to test operating concepts, address human factors, and prove the NPP operators can reliably and safely dispatch thermal and electrical power to a hydrogen plant. Development and testing of NPP simulators addresses two principal LWRS needs. First, testing of simulators with human operators in real-time provides validation of the concept-of-operations to ensure the modifications to the nuclear power plant enable achieving the intended objectives of rapid dispatch of both thermal and electric power while not compromising safety, including human factors considerations. Second, testing the simulators in real-time with human operators and physical hardware-in-the-loop verifies the functionality and safeguards in the proposed control systems. | NPP Simulators for Coupled Thermal and Electric Power Dispatch, INL/RPT-22-02973 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/14/2022 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 5/12/2023 9:36 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| This report details an expansion of the original two generic probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) for the addition of a heat extraction system (HES) to a light-water reactor, one for a pressurized-water reactor and one for a boiling-water reactor. The new material in this revision includes a new HES design, direct electrical coupling of the nuclear power plant to the High-Temperature Electrolysis Facility (HTEF), and a smaller 100-MWt HTEF analysis. The results investigate the applicability of the potential licensing approaches, which do not require a full United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing review. The PRAs are generic and include some assumptions. We eliminated many conservative assumptions from the preliminary pressurized-water reactor PRA report using design data for both the HES and HTEF. | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation Probabilistic Risk Assessment of a Light-Water Reactor Coupled with a High-Temperature Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Plant, INL/EXT-20-60104 Revision 1 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 11/17/2022 | Safety Assessments | 5/15/2023 3:53 PM | |
| H3RG was formed to begin identification of the generic technical and safety risks that could be accepted under a 10 CFR 50.59 evaluation and thus avoid the uncertainty of the LAR process. Thus, the generic guidance serves to reduce complex regulatory approvals under the LAR process that might otherwise be required. In support of this objective, the H3RG includes a broad collaboration with primary participants from DOE-supported national laboratory research leads, contracted AE participants, and nuclear utility licensing and design experts. | Report on the Creation and Progress of the Hydrogen Regulatory Research Review Group, INL/EXT-22-02126 Revision 1 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 11/15/2022 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 5/15/2023 2:30 PM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| This report presents a multi-facility coordinated research plan for fiscal years 2023 through 2025 for analyzing integrated electric and thermal power dispatch from commercial light water reactors to tertiary industrial loads. The work will be performed within the DOE LWRS — Flexible Plant Operation and Generation Research Pathway. | Multi-Facility Coordinated Thermal Power Dispatch Research Plan, INL/RPT-22-69493 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/30/2022 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 12/20/2022 9:45 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| A case study analysis was performed to evaluate nuclear-powered synthetic fuel production in the midwestern US. A Fischer-Tropsch fuel synthesis plant design was used as the basis for the analysis. The FT plant design was configured to produce a product slate consisting of diesel fuel, jet fuel, and motor gasoline blend stocks from CO2 and H2 feedstocks. The CO2 feedstock for the FT plant was assumed to be sourced from biorefineries in the region around a Midwest LWR NPP. The analysis specifies that power from the LWR is used to produce H2 via high-temperature steam electrolysis and to operate the FT synfuel production plant. | Production of Fischer-Tropsch Synfuels at Nuclear Plants, INL/RPT-22-69047 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/30/2022 | Design and Economics | 12/20/2022 9:46 AM | Design and Economics |
| Opportunity for nuclear power plants to participate in a first-of-a-kind commercial nuclear H2 project intended to bring industry partners together to create regional clean H2 hubs. The report discusses the set of activities that are now underway or that are planned for completion by the FPOG Pathway to reduce the economic, technical, regulatory, and safety risks of these projects. DOE cross-program activities are being coordinated to ensure success in the timeframe allowed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. | Plan for Scaling Up Hydrogen Production with Nuclear Power Plants, INL/RPT-22-68155 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 8/1/2022 | Design and Economics | 12/20/2022 10:48 AM | Design and Economics |
| The HERON is a generic software plugin for the RAVEN to perform stochastic technoeconomic analysis of IES with economic drivers. This report summarizes the updates made to HERON 2.0. | Release a Public Version of HERON 2.0 with Improved Algorithms for the Treatment of Energy Storage, INL-EXT-21-65476 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/20/2021 | Design and Economics | 12/20/2022 10:46 AM | Design and Economics |
| With increased penetration of variable renewable energy resources that are often subsidized and competition from low natural gas prices, existing LWR NPPs are struggling to remain economically competitive. This work examines the potential economic competitiveness of various TES technologies when coupled directly or indirectly with an NPP. To highlight their relative economic competitiveness, we contrast several energy storage solutions in stochastic dispatch optimization. | A Technical and Economic Assessment of LWR Flexible Operation for Generation/Demand Balancing to Optimize Plant Revenue, INL/EXT-21-65473 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/1/2021 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:16 AM | Design and Economics |
| A capability to include coupled thermal and electric power dispatch has also been enabled by connecting the TPD-GPWR simulator to power system real-time digital simulation (RTDS) capabilities at INL. A feasibility study of electrical coupling was performed and summarized in Section 2. Simulated industrial loads less than approximately 60 MWe can be couped to the TPD-GPWR as a house load while still being able to meet the requirement that a single unit auxiliary transformer (UAT) be able to support all auxiliary loads. | Evaluation of Hybrid Flexible Plant Operation and Generation Applications in Regulated and Deregulated Markets Using HERON, INL/EXT-21-63226 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 10/1/2021 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 5/12/2023 9:37 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| Static conditions were chosen and analyzed in this report for each option. Dynamic operation or optimization of energy arbitrage or demand response are out of scope for this report. The analysis is based on storage systems with discharge capacities of 500 MW for which various durations of storage and costs of charging (electricity cost) are examined. | Energy Arbitrage: Comparison of Options for use with LWR Nuclear Power Plants, INL/EXT-21-62939 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/30/2021 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:24 AM | Design and Economics |
| This report describes the development, modeling, and results of a full-scope generic boiling water reactor (GBWR) power plant simulator that incorporates coupled electrical and thermal power dispatch to an industrial process located approximately one kilometer from the nuclear power plant. The simulator is a commercial BWR simulator that has been modified to include thermal power dispatch. | Incorporation of Thermal-Hydraulic Models for Thermal Power Dispatch into a BWR Power Plant Simulator, INL/EXT-21-64479 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/21/2021 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 2/1/2023 9:22 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| The study aimed to demonstrate and evaluate an initial concept of operations for using a portion of the steam from a nuclear power plant for an industrial user through a thermal power dispatch coupling. Virtual representations of the analog control panels were presented on touchscreen bays configured to mimic the control room layout in the newly renovated Human Systems Simulation Laboratory. | Dynamic Human-in-the-Loop Simulated Nuclear Power Plant Thermal Power Dispatch System Demonstration and Evaluation Study, INL/EXT-21-64329 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/16/2021 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:28 AM | Design and Economics |
| To analyze the economic viability of various system configurations such IES, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding load demand, electricity prices, and the availability of VRE resources, the stochastic technoeconomic analysis package HERON was released earlier this year as an extension of the risk analysis framework RAVEN. | Evaluation of Hybrid Flexible Plant Operation and Generation Applications in Regulated and Deregulated Markets Using HERON, INL/EXT-20-60968 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/12/2020 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:29 AM | Design and Economics |
| Flexible Plant Operation and Generation Probabilistic Risk Assessment of a Light Water Reactor Coupled with a High-Temperature Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Plant, INL/EXT-20-60104, October 2020. | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation Probabilistic Risk Assessment of a Light Water Reactor Coupled with a High-Temperature Electrolysis Hydrogen Production Plant, INL/EXT-20-60104 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 10/12/2020 | Safety Assessments | 12/20/2022 10:32 AM | Safety Assessments |
| Many conservative assumptions from the preliminary PWR PRA report were eliminated using design data for both the HES and the high-temperature electrolysis facility (HTEF). The results of the PRA indicate that application using the licensing approach in 10 CFR 50.59 is justified because of the minimal increase in initiating event frequencies for all design basis accidents (DBAs), none exceeding 5.6%. | Preliminary Human System Evaluation of Thermal Power Dispatch Concept of Operations, INL/EXT-20-59898 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/20/2020 | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery | 2/1/2023 9:30 AM | Thermal and Electrical Power Delivery |
| Synthetic fuels (synfuels) and chemicals (synchems) are produced by synthesis from chemical building blocks rather than by conventional petroleum refining. Synthesis gas or syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) is a common intermediate building block in the production of synfuels and synchems. Syngas can be produced by many processes, including biomass or fossil fuel gasification and by co-electrolysis. | Techno-Economic Analysis of Synthetic Fuels Pathways Integrated with Light Water Reactors, INL/EXT-20-59775 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 9/4/2020 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:31 AM | Design and Economics |
| Concepts for how a hypothetical energy park could be centered around an LWR are developed and presented. Various candidate industrial processes are sketched in ways that provide synergy to the energy park as a whole, as shown in Figure ES1, in which CO2 produced by an ethane steam-cracker burner is captured by a molten-carbonate fuel cell and upgraded through hydrogenation and methanol-to-olefins processes. | Markets and Economics for Thermal Power Extraction from Nuclear Power Plants for Industrial Processes, INL/EXT-20-58884 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 7/1/2020 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:31 AM | Design and Economics |
| HERON as a plugin enables RAVEN to perform stochastic technoeconomic analysis of grid-energy systems in a generic approach. The primary function of HERON is to generate the complex RAVEN workflows necessary to optimize component capacities under stochastic systems. HERON is capable of analyzing systems with complex components transferring a variety of commodities, including production components and varied markets. | HERON as a Tool for LWR Market Interaction In a Deregulated Market, INL/EXT-19-56933 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/21/2019 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:33 AM | Design and Economics |
| Synthetic fuels (synfuels) and chemicals (synchems) are produced by synthesis from chemical building blocks rather than by conventional petroleum refining. Synthesis gas or syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) is a common intermediate building block in the production of synfuels and synchems. Syngas can be produced by many processes, including biomass or fossil fuel gasification and by co-electrolysis. In co-electrolysis, CO2 is reacted with water to produce syngas. | Technoeconomic Analysis on an Electrochemical Nonoxidative Deprotonation Process for Ethylene Production from Ethane, INL/EXT-19-56936 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 12/17/2019 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:34 AM | Design and Economics |
| Synthetic fuels (synfuels) and chemicals (synchems) are produced by synthesis from chemical building blocks rather than by conventional petroleum refining. Synthesis gas or syngas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) is a common intermediate building block in the production of synfuels and synchems. Syngas can be produced by many processes, including biomass or fossil fuel gasification and by co-electrolysis. In co-electrolysis, CO2 is reacted with water to produce syngas. | Evaluation of Non-electric Market Options for a Light-water Reactor in the Midwest, INL/EXT-19-55090 | | Flexible Plant Operation and Generation | 8/10/2019 | Design and Economics | 2/1/2023 9:34 AM | Design and Economics |