Technical feasibility study for coupling a desalination plant to an Advanced Heavy Water Reactor

• Various options of using thermal energy of AHWR for desalination plant have been studied.
• Integration of LTE and MED desalination plants with AHWR has been proposed.
• Safety precaution towards radioactivity ingress to desalinated product water is highlighted.
• Feasibility of nuclear desalination using AHWR is presented.

Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) is the latest Indian design for a next generation nuclear reactor. It is 300 MWe, vertical, pressure tube type, boiling light water cooled natural circulation and heavy water moderated reactor. It burns thorium in its fuel core to meet the objectives of using thorium fuel cycles for commercial power generation. Desalination systems are included in the reactor circuit to produce high quality water from seawater utilizing thermal energy of AHWR to meet the reactor make-up and other process water requirements. Studies have been carried out for various options of using thermal energy of AHWR for desalination. LTE and MED-TVC desalination plants are planned to be coupled with the reactor using Main Heat Transport purification circuit waste heat and using steam from a tapping between the cross-over line of HP and LP turbine respectively. Metallic barriers, intermediate loops and pressure reversal concepts are applied to prevent radioactive ingress to product water of desalination plant. This paper describes the technical feasibility studies of coupling 250 m3/day LTE and 2400 m3/day MED-TVC seawater desalination plants coupled to AHWR. Coupling of desalination plants, methodologies, loss of reactor power and various safety considerations are discussed in details.