Harnessing Geothermal Energy Potential from High-Level Nuclear Waste Repositories
Name
energies-17-02002-v2.pdf
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14.69 MB
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Checksum (MD5)
25a1071692eb7ec59d7bb6f01a2f4fb6
Author(s)
Sarsenbayev, Dauren
Zheng, Liange
Ermakova, Dinara
Sharipov, Rashid
Wainwright, Haruko M.
Date Issued
April 23, 2024
Journal
Energies
Publisher
MDPI AG
Citation
Sarsenbayev, D.; Zheng, L.; Ermakova, D.; Sharipov, R.; Wainwright, H.M. Harnessing Geothermal Energy Potential from High-Level Nuclear Waste Repositories. Energies 2024, 17, 2002
Version
Final published version
Abstract
The disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW) has been one of the most challenging issues for nuclear energy utilization. In this study, we have explored the potential of extracting decay heat from HLW, taking advantage of recent advances in the technologies to utilize low-temperature geothermal resources for the co-generation of electricity and heat. Given that geothermal energy entails extracting heat from natural radioactivity within the Earth, we may consider that our approach is to augment it with an anthropogenic geothermal source. Our study—for the first time—introduces a conceptual model of a binary-cycle geothermal system powered by the heat produced by HLW. TOUGHREACT V3.32 software was used to model the heat transfer resulting from radioactive decay to the surrounding geological media. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of employing the organic Rankine cycle (ORC) to generate approximately 108 kWe per HLW canister 30 years after emplacement and a heat pump system to produce 81 kWth of high-potential heat per canister for HVAC purposes within the same timeframe. The proposed facility has the potential to produce carbon-free power while ensuring the safe disposal of radioactive waste and removing the bottleneck in the sustainable use of nuclear energy.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Creative Commons Attribution
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3390/en17092002
