EP-4739892-A1 - INTEGRATED FUSION POWER PLANT

EP4739892A1EP 4739892 A1EP4739892 A1EP 4739892A1EP-4739892-A1

Abstract

A power conversion system includes a fusion reactor operable to generate a main heat and an auxiliary system operable with the fusion reactor to generate a waste heat. An evaporator operable in response to the receipt of the main heat to convert the working fluid from the liquid form to the superheated vapor form and a generator operable to generate an electrical current. A turbine is coupled to the generator and is operable in response to the receipt of the working fluid in the superheated vapor form to operate the generator and to discharge the working fluid. A condenser is operable to receive the working fluid from the turbine and to condense the working fluid to the liquid form and an auxiliary heater is operable in response to the receipt of the waste heat to preheat the working fluid before it enters the evaporator.

Inventors

FELLER, GERALD J.
FLEISCHER, MAXIMILIAN
ENDE, FRANK
GRAEBER, CARSTEN
JOHANNSSEN, SVEN
GHERMAY, Yohannes

Assignees

Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20240818

Claims (1)

Docket No. 2023PF12322 CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A power conversion system comprising: a fusion reactor operable to generate a main heat; an auxiliary system operable with the fusion reactor to generate a waste heat; an evaporator having an inlet for the input of a working fluid in liquid form and an outlet for the discharge of the working fluid in a superheated vapor form, the evaporator operable in response to the receipt of the main heat to convert the working fluid from the liquid form to the superheated vapor form; a generator operable to generate an electrical current; a turbine coupled to the generator and operable in response to the receipt of the working fluid in the superheated vapor form to operate the generator and to discharge the working fluid; a condenser operable to receive the working fluid from the turbine and to condense the working fluid to the liquid form; and an auxiliary heater operable in response to the receipt of the waste heat to preheat the working fluid before it enters the evaporator. 2. The power conversion system of claim 1, wherein the fusion reactor is a fusion- powered fusion reactor and the auxiliary system includes a plurality of lasers, and wherein the waste heat is generated during the cooling of the plurality of lasers. 3. The power conversion system of claim 2, each of the plurality of lasers includes a water cooling system. 4. The power conversion system of claim 2, wherein the fusion reactor includes a reactor wall that is directly heated by the fusion process within the fusion reactor, the system further comprising a reactor heat exchanger thermally connected to the reactor wall, and a coolant that passes through the reactor heat exchanger to cool the reactor wall and to heat the coolant. 5. The power conversion system of claim 4, wherein the coolant includes one of a molten salt and a molten metal. Docket No. 2023PF12322 6. The power conversion system of claim 2, further comprising a first reheater, wherein the turbine includes a first turbine and a second turbine, and wherein the first reheater receives a portion of the main heat and reheats the working fluid after it is discharged from the first turbine and before it enters the second turbine. 7. The power conversion system of claim 2, further comprising a primary coolant loop and a secondary coolant loop, and wherein the fusion reactor includes a reactor wall that is directly heated by the fusion process within the fusion reactor, the primary coolant loop operable to directly cool the reactor wall and the secondary coolant loop receives the main heat from the primary coolant loop. 8. The power conversion system of claim 2, further comprising a coolant that flows within the primary coolant loop, and wherein the coolant is one of a molten salt and a molten metal. 9. A power conversion system comprising: a fusion reactor operable to generate a main heat; an auxiliary system operable with the fusion reactor to generate a waste heat; a compressor operable to compress a flow of gas; a heat exchanger operable in response to the receipt of the main heat to heat the flow of gas; a first generator operable to generate an electrical current; a turbine coupled to the first generator and the compressor and operable in response to the receipt of the heated flow of gas to operate the first generator and the compressor and to discharge the flow of gas as an exhaust gas; and a Rankine cycle operable in response to the receipt of the exhaust gas and the waste heat to operate a second generator. 10. The power conversion system of claim 9, wherein the fusion reactor is a fusion- powered fusion reactor and the auxiliary system includes a plurality of lasers, and wherein the waste heat is generated during the cooling of the plurality of lasers. 11. The power conversion system of claim 10, each of the plurality of lasers includes a water cooling system. Docket No. 2023PF12322 12. The power conversion system of claim 10, wherein the fusion reactor includes a reactor wall that is directly heated by the fusion process within the fusion reactor, the system further comprising a heat exchanger thermally connected to the reactor wall, and a coolant that passes through the heat exchanger to cool the reactor wall and to heat the coolant. 13. The power conversion system of claim 12, wherein the coolant includes one of a molten salt and a molten metal. 14. The power conversion system of claim 12, further comprising a main heat exchanger that includes a first flow path that receives the coolant and a second flow path that receives the compressed flow of gas from the compressor, the heat exchanger operable to cool the coolant and heat the flow of gas from the compressor. 15. The power conversion system of claim 10, wherein the Rankine cycle includes an evaporator having an inlet for the input of a working fluid in liquid form and an outlet for the discharge of the working fluid in a superheated vapor form, the evaporator operable in response to the receipt of the exhaust gas to convert the working fluid from the liquid form to the superheated vapor form. 16. The power conversion system of claim 15, wherein the Rankine cycle includes an auxiliary heater operable in response to the receipt of the waste heat to preheat the working fluid before it enters the evaporator.

Description

Docket No. 2023PF12322 INTEGRATED FUSION POWER PLANT BACKGROUND [0001] Power generation, and in particular thermal power generation is an energy conversion process in which energy is generated in the form of heat which is in turn used to drive a thermal cycle such as a Rankine or Brayton cycle. Viable fusion power will require the extraction of heat from a reactor vessel that might be maintained at a vacuum. Thus, there is no heat transfer medium that facilitates the transfer of heat in proposed fusion designs. BRIEF SUMMARY [0002] In one construction, a power conversion system includes a fusion reactor operable to generate a main heat, an auxiliary system operable with the fusion reactor to generate a waste heat, and an evaporator having an inlet for the input of a working fluid in liquid form and an outlet for the discharge of the working fluid in a superheated vapor form. The evaporator operates in response to the receipt of the main heat to convert the working fluid from the liquid form to the superheated vapor form. A generator operates to generate an electrical current and a turbine is coupled to the generator and operates in response to the receipt of the working fluid in the superheated vapor form to operate the generator and to discharge the working fluid. A condenser is operable to receive the working fluid from the turbine and to condense the working fluid to the liquid form. An auxiliary heater is operable in response to the receipt of the waste heat to preheat the working fluid before it enters the evaporator. [0003] In another construction, a power conversion system includes a fusion reactor operable to generate a main heat, and an auxiliary system operable with the fusion reactor to generate a waste heat. A compressor is operable to compress a flow of gas, a heat exchanger is operable in response to the receipt of the main heat to heat the flow of gas, and a first generator is operable to generate an electrical current. A turbine is coupled to the first generator and the Docket No. 2023PF12322 compressor and operable in response to the receipt of the heated flow of gas to operate the first generator and the compressor and to discharge the flow of gas as an exhaust gas. A Rankine cycle is operable in response to the receipt of the exhaust gas and the waste heat to operate a second generator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0004] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference number refer to the figure number in which that element is first introduced. [0005] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an arrangement of a fusion power conversion system including a Rankine cycle. [0006] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the fusion power conversion system of FIG. 1 further including a secondary heating loop. [0007] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates another arrangement of a fusion power conversion system including a Brayton cycle inclusive of a bottom cycle for energy recovery. [0008] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the fusion power conversion system of FIG. 3 further including one or more secondary heating loops. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0009] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in this description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Docket No. 2023PF12322 [0010] Various technologies that pertain to systems and methods will now be described with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. The drawings discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged apparatus. It is to be understood that functionality that is described as being carried out by certain system elements may be performed by multiple elements. Similarly, for instance, an element may be configured to perform functionality that is described as being carried out by multiple elements. The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with reference to exemplary non-limiting embodiments. [0011] It should be understood that the words or phrases used herein should be construed broadly, unless expressly limited in some examples. For example, the terms “including,” “having,” and “comprising,” as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limit