000011209 001__ 11209
000011209 005__ 20241125152908.0
000011209 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.24868/11209
000011209 037__ $$aGENERAL
000011209 245__ $$aDynamic potential of naval nuclear power generation: modelling of a high-temperature reactor with a supercritical carbon dioxide power conversion cycle
000011209 269__ $$a2024-11-06
000011209 336__ $$aConference Proceedings
000011209 520__ $$aNuclear propulsion has recently gained increasing interest within the maritime sector in the Netherlands and Europe. According to the Dutch maritime sector policy report "No Guts, No Hollands Glorie" published in 2023, nuclear energy can help reduce dependency on fossil fuels and provides a potential high-energy density energy source for ships without emitting CO2. The flagship project of the Netherlands maritime sector policy report ‘nuclear propulsion for ships’ aims to develop a standardized, modular nuclear reactor for ship integration within 10 years. While not considered a renewable energy source due to limited uranium and thorium, nuclear energy remains a low-carbon option that emits no CO2 during operation, thus not contributing to climate change. In addition, true renewable energy sources and alternative fuels have a significantly lower energy density than current fossil energy sources. This is not the case for nuclear energy. Thus, implementing nuclear propulsion would result in operational advantages for naval vessels as sufficient energy can be provided for long operational autonomy. Not only would this improve the strategic autonomy of the Royal Netherlands Navy, but it would also be a solution for the increasing energy demands of additional unmanned systems or advanced combat systems. 

Despite previous use of nuclear energy on (naval) vessels, implementing the technology in future (naval) vessels presents challenges, particularly regarding the dynamic power profile of ships during operation. Nuclear reactors ashore typically operate as stable constant power sources, which contrasts with the fluctuating power demands of ships, especially naval vessels. Previous research addressed this dynamic behaviour by applying linear power increase/decrease limits based on values from literature, which showed significant power peak shaving capabilities, like batteries or fuel cells, are required to supply the dynamic power behaviours. This research aims to investigate the impact of the dynamic operating profile of naval surface vessels on the ships energy conversion system, that converts the thermal heat from the nuclear reactor to energy for propulsion and auxiliary loads.

Based on the expected outlook for the development of the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the anticipation of a small modular reactor (SMR) by 2033, future air defence and amphibious transport capability projects were selected as potential vessel types of interest for the implementation of a SMR. A conceptual model will be developed to investigate the dynamic response of the energy conversion system in a maritime nuclear power plant installation, using a simplified thermal heat model as a representation of the nuclear power plant. Dynamic power simulations will assess how the energy conversion plant can meet the dynamic power requirements of representative operational power profiles for these vessels, and what additional peak shaving energy storage systems are necessary. These findings will contribute to the required knowledge on integration of a maritime standardized modular reactor in naval vessels and other ship types with similar loading profiles, not just for the Royal Netherlands Navy but also for the entire Dutch and European maritime sector.
Keywords: nuclear propulsion, Royal Netherlands Navy, small modular reactors, power conversion systems, modelling, dynamic power simulations.
000011209 7001_ $$aWien, T$$uRoyal Netherlands Navy
000011209 7001_ $$aMeijn, GJ$$uDamen Naval
000011209 773__ $$tConference Proceedings of INEC
000011209 773__ $$jINEC 2024
000011209 8564_ $$uhttps://library.imarest.org/record/11209/files/INEC_2024_paper_76.pdf$$91762441c-bf16-4288-acd2-92dcb72a0a75$$s5163266