Energy Technology Expert

Shall We Go Nuclear?

Shall We Go Nuclear?

Oil Crisis of 2008

The recent oil crisis which saw the rise of crude oil prices to a peak of $147 per barrel in the world market and its attendant effect on raising electricity prices in the Philippines at a rate higher than its competitor economies in the region has brought forth renewed calls to review policies relative to the development of the Philippine Nuclear Industry.

Revive the 600 MW BNPP?

In particular, attention has been directed toward reviving the mothballed 600 MW Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) constructed by the National Power Corporation in the early 1980’s. In its desire to be part of the growing list of nuclear power generation nations in the world, the Philippines implemented a national agenda that included the construction of the 600 MW BNPP in tandem with the 300 MW Kalayaan Pumped Storage Hydro Plant in 1982. The pumped storage would serve as a dummy load of the nuclear plant during off-peak periods at night in order to allow for a constant and stable generation of 600 MW of nuclear power throughout the entire day. (In the absence of the “cheap” nuclear electricity, the Laguna Lake water is pumped uphill to Lake Caliraya at night using geothermal, coal and sometimes expensive oil-based electricity in order to have adequate baseload capacity during day-time peak hours.)

Numerous Issues Hounded the BNPP

Unfortunately, or for reasons only Providence could imagine, the BNPP has been hounded with controversy ranging from allegations of overprice and corruption in the construction of the power plant, unsafe plant location being near an inactive volcano (Mt. Natib), being located near an active fault, possible long-term environmental harm to the nearby residents and Luzon populace in the event of accidental release of radio active gases and materials arising from a nuclear accident, unsafe plant design (pressurized water reactor or PWR), expensive electricity arising from its high cost per kW due to overprice (one 600 MW plant for the cost of two 600 MW plants as originally conceived), and of course, how to economically and safely dispose of the spent nuclear fuel material, radioactive control rods and other materials exposed to high levels of radiation.

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Fuel & Energy Technology Expert is Here

Fuel & Energy Technology Expert is Here

Marcial Ocampo, your favorite energy technology expert, is here to provide you latest information on:

1) energy and oil prices (international and domestic pump price calculation)

2) renewable energy and non-renewable energy and electricity

3) cost of power generation – capital and O&M cost

4) levelized cost of energy and electricity

5) Philippine energy and electricity demand and supply

6) project finance and financial modeling

7) power plant efficiency and performance

8) project feasibility studies for biofuels and power plant (market, technical, economic and financial)

Examples of Power Generation Technologies in commercial use are as follows:

Oil – Gas Thermal

Reciprocating / Piston Engine:

Small or High-Speed
Medium Speed
Large or Slow Speed
Combined Cycle – Waste Heat Boiler

Natural Gas – Simple GT:

Aero-Derivative GT
With Recuperation
Humid Air Turbine (HAT)
Cascaded Humid Air Turbine (CHAT)
Heavy Frame GT

Natural Gas – Combined Cycle GT

Coal:

Pulverized Coal PC
Atmospheric CFB
Pressurized FBC
Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle IGCC
Integrated Gasification Humid Air Turbine IGHAT
Direct Coal-Fired Combined Cycle DCCC
Supercritical & Ultra-Supercritical Coal Comb.

Nuclear Fission:

Boiling Water Reactor (BWR), advanced
Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR)
Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR):
- Candu Reactor
High Temp. Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR)
Gas Turbine Modular Helium Reactor (GT-MHR)
Breeder Reactors

Nuclear Fusion

Hydro:

Large:
- Pelton Turbine – 50-6,000 ft head
- Francis Turbine – 10-2,000 ft head
- Propeller Turbine – 10 – 300 ft head:
- Kaplan Turbine
Small / Mini
Micro

Energy Storage:

Pumped Hydro
Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) – Huntorf:
- Large CAES
- Small CAES
- Above Ground CAES
Flywheel Systems
Utility Scale Batteries (USB):
- Lead acid
- Advanced
Stored Hydrogen
Superconduction Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES)
Ultracapacitors

Geothermal:

Dry Steam (Vapor)
Flashed Steam (Single, Double)
Binary Cycle
Petrothermal (Hot Dry Rock)
Geothermal Preheat
Fossil Superheat

Wind

Solar PV:

Crystalline silicon
Thin film – Amorphous Silicon
Thin film – Indium Diselenide
Flat Plate
High Efficiency Multi Junction (IHCPV)

Solar Thermal:
Trough
Tower
Dish
Salt Pond (power + water)

Fuel Cells:

Alkaline (AFC)
Phosphoric Acid (PAFC)
Proton Exchange Membrane  (PEM)
Direct Methanol (DMFC)
Molten Carbonate (MCFC)
Solid Oxide-GT  (SOFC-GT)

Biomass:

Direct Combustion
Co-firing with Coal
Biomass Gasification (BIGCC)
Municipal Waste Treatment
Pyrolysis

Fermentation
Landfill Gas (40 – 60% CH4)
Anaerobic Digestion Biogas (65% CH4)
Sewage Treatment

Ocean Thermal:

Claude (open cycle)
Controlled Flash Evaporation (open)
Anderson (closed cycle)

Ocean Wave:

Oscillating Water Column (OWC)
Hydraulic Accumulator
High Level Reservoir
Float or Pitching Devices
Wave Surge or Focusing (“tapchan”)
Pendulor

Tidal Power:

Single Pool
Modulated Single Pool w/ Pumped Hydro
Two Pool

Additional technologies provided by readers of this blog:

Waste Heat Recovery: (from Alan Belcher’s comments)

Steam Rankine Cycle (Recycled Energy Development, Inc.)

Organic Rankine Cycle (Ormat Technologies, Inc.)*

Low Temperature Brayton Cycle (Pegasus Energy Project, Inc.)