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Current and future nuclear power reactors and plants 165

Table 4.11 Estimated ranges of thermal efficiencies (gross)
of Generation IV NPP concepts (Generation IV concepts are listed
according to thermal efficiency decrease)
No Nuclear power plant Gross eff. (%)
1 Very-high-temperature reactor (VHTR) NPP (reactor coolant— 55
helium: P¼7MPa and T in /T out ¼640/1000°C; primary power
cycle—direct Brayton gas-turbine cycle; possible back-up—
indirect Brayton or combined cycles)
2 Gas-cooled fast reactor (GFR) or high-temperature reactor 50
(HTR) NPP (reactor coolant—helium: P¼9MPa and
T in /T out ¼490/850°C; primary power cycle—direct Brayton
gas-turbine cycle; possible back-up—indirect Brayton
or combined cycles)
3 Supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) NPP (one of 45–50
Canadian concepts; reactor coolant—light water: P¼25MPa
and T in /T out ¼350/625°C(T cr ¼374°C); direct cycle;
high-temperature steam superheat: T out ¼625°C; possible
back-up—indirect supercritical-pressure Rankine steam cycle
with high-temperature steam superheat)
4 Molten-salt reactor (MSR) NPP (reactor coolant—sodium- 50
fluoride salt with dissolved uranium fuel: T in /T out ¼700/800°C;
primary power cycle—indirect supercritical-pressure carbon
dioxide Brayton gas-turbine cycle; possible back-up—indirect
Rankine steam cycle)
5 Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) NPP (Russian design BREST- 41–43
a
OD-300 : reactor coolant—liquid lead: P 0.1MPa and
T in /T out ¼420/540°C; primary power cycle—indirect
subcritical-pressure Rankine steam cycle: P in 17MPa
(P cr ¼22.064MPa) and T in /T out ¼340/505°C(T cr ¼374°C);
high-temperature steam superheat; (in one of the previous
designs of BREST-300 NPP primary power cycle was indirect
supercritical-pressure Rankine steam cycle: P in 24.5MPa
(P cr ¼22.064MPa) and T in /T out ¼340/520°C(T cr ¼374°C);
also, note that power-conversion cycle in a different LFR design
from other countries is based on a supercritical-pressure carbon
dioxide Brayton gas-turbine cycle
6 Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) NPP (Russian design 40
BN-600: reactor coolant—liquid sodium (primary circuit):
P 0.1MPa and T in /T out ¼380/550°C; liquid sodium (secondary
circuit): T in /T out ¼320/520°C; primary power cycle—indirect
Rankine steam cycle: P in 14.2MPa (T sat 337°C) and
T in max ¼505°C(T cr ¼374°C); steam superheat: P 2.45MPa
and T in /T out ¼246/505°C; possible back-up in some other
countries—indirect supercritical-pressure carbon-dioxide
Brayton gas-turbine cycle)

a
BREST-OD-300 is fast reactor with “natural safety”-test demonstration.