Energetic and economic cost of nuclear heat − impact on the cost of desalination

Abstract

An exploratory study has been carried out to evaluate the cost of heat supplied by a pressurized water reactor type of nuclear reactors to thermal desalination processes. In the context of this work, simplified models have been developed to describe the thermodynamics of power conversion, the energetics of multi-effect evaporation (MED), and the costs of electricity and heat cogenerated by the dual-purpose power plant. Application of these models show that, contrary to widespread belief, (nuclear-powered) MED and seawater reverse osmosis are comparable in terms of energy effectiveness. Process heat can be produced, in fact, by a relatively small increase in the core power. As fuel represents just a fraction of the cost of nuclear electricity, the increase in fuel-related expenses is expected to have limited impact on power generation economics.