Nuclear district heating
Aleksandrov, Andrei (2023)
Diplomityö
2023
School of Energy Systems, Energiatekniikka
Kaikki oikeudet pidätetään.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe202301041408
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe202301041408
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this master’s thesis is to discuss the implementation of nuclear energy to district heating. With climate change being a challenge to the modern world, there is a goal of reducing carbon emissions. A large portion of global carbon dioxide emissions comes from district heating. Almost 90% of district heat is produced from fossil fuels globally, and the use of nuclear energy in district heating can replace the need for fossil fuels.
District heating networks are generally more developed in countries with cold climate, where there is a large demand for district heating. In general, around Europe, the share of fossil fuel in district heat production is quite high. These countries can become the trailblazers for deployment of nuclear reactors for district heating purposes. There are a few possible types of nuclear reactors that can be used for district heating, mainly small modular reactors, and dedicated district heating reactors.
There are constraints for nuclear district heating in regulations and legislation. The first one is the distance from densely populated areas at which nuclear reactors can be sited, which can greatly affect the nuclear district heating competitiveness. The second constraint is the licensing process which can significantly slow down the process of reactor deployment and make it more costly. The current regulations and legislation were made with large conventional nuclear reactors in mind, which leads to the possibility of their reconsideration, as small modular reactors and dedicated district heat reactors can provide the same level of safety as large reactors, while sited closer to the consumers.
Nuclear energy is a good candidate for replacing fossil fuels in district heat production. Small modular reactors can be used for cogeneration of district heating and electricity. Dedicated district heating reactors can also be used, especially in countries with more uniform temperature throughout the year, as it improves the economics of heat production.
District heating networks are generally more developed in countries with cold climate, where there is a large demand for district heating. In general, around Europe, the share of fossil fuel in district heat production is quite high. These countries can become the trailblazers for deployment of nuclear reactors for district heating purposes. There are a few possible types of nuclear reactors that can be used for district heating, mainly small modular reactors, and dedicated district heating reactors.
There are constraints for nuclear district heating in regulations and legislation. The first one is the distance from densely populated areas at which nuclear reactors can be sited, which can greatly affect the nuclear district heating competitiveness. The second constraint is the licensing process which can significantly slow down the process of reactor deployment and make it more costly. The current regulations and legislation were made with large conventional nuclear reactors in mind, which leads to the possibility of their reconsideration, as small modular reactors and dedicated district heat reactors can provide the same level of safety as large reactors, while sited closer to the consumers.
Nuclear energy is a good candidate for replacing fossil fuels in district heat production. Small modular reactors can be used for cogeneration of district heating and electricity. Dedicated district heating reactors can also be used, especially in countries with more uniform temperature throughout the year, as it improves the economics of heat production.