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ReCore-Power is the energy-conversion part of the ReCore engineering concept: a closed Brayton cycle with pure nitrogen (N₂) as the working fluid, coupled to the 720 MWth reactor class with an electrical target of about 320 MWe.
The main motivation is architectural: explore a power island without a water Rankine steam generator and the Na–H₂O reaction risk that has driven many intermediate-loop SFR layouts. Dry or low-water heat rejection is also of interest. That choice is part of the same first-principles Why? — simpler secondary chemistry where possible, industrial hardware classes, and constructability — while accepting that integrated nuclear Na–N₂ plant maturity is still low (see TRL table).
TRL figures are estimates for power-conversion building blocks.
| Technology | Est. TRL | Notes / heritage |
|---|---|---|
| Closed-cycle gas turbines (industrial) | 8–9 | Commercial closed gas plants: Ravensburg air plant (1950s, GHH); Oberhausen-Sterkrade helium cogeneration (1970s) — long operating hours |
| Recuperated / intercooled Brayton architecture | 7–8 | Standard thermodynamic plant practice; effectiveness and ΔP are design choices, not new physics |
| Nitrogen as working fluid | 6–8 | N₂ is abundant and industrially handled; pure closed-N₂ nuclear plants are less common than air/steam, but fluid properties are well known |
| Inventory control for load following | 6–7 | Established idea for closed Brayton plants (vary mass, hold temperatures); needs plant-specific tanks and control design |
| Helical recuperator / precooler (gas duty) | 7–8 | Same low-ΔP helical HX philosophy as process industry gas exchangers |
| Na→N₂ heat source interface | 4–6 | Shares maturity of the primary HX row on ReCore-Reactor; plant-level coupling is FOAK |
| Integrated nuclear Na–N₂ Brayton plant | 3–5 | Full FOAK: turbomachinery + nuclear heat source + control + licensing as one system |
At concept level the cycle is:
Target net efficiency is on the order of 45%, depending on turbine inlet temperature, recuperator effectiveness, pressure ratio and component pressure drops.
Closed gas cycles can vary electrical output by changing the inventory (mass) of gas in the loop while holding temperatures relatively steady. That is a known control approach for closed Brayton plants and is potentially well suited to supporting variable renewables — if control, economics, and nuclear coupling are demonstrated.
Rejected heat from precoolers / intercoolers can feed district heating or low-to-medium temperature industrial uses where siting allows. Combined heat-and-power figures sometimes quoted above electrical-only efficiency are site- and demand-dependent, not universal plant ratings.
Closed-cycle gas turbines are not speculative. European industrial examples include closed-cycle plants such as the Ravensburg air plant (1950s) and the Oberhausen-Sterkrade helium cogeneration plant (1970s). ReCore-Power borrows that closed-loop philosophy while selecting nitrogen for sodium compatibility and resource availability.
| Feature | Steam Rankine + intermediate Na | N₂ closed Brayton (concept) |
|---|---|---|
| Working fluid | Water / steam | Nitrogen |
| Intermediate Na loop | Often used | Explored as optional / eliminable — still needs full justification |
| Na–water reaction | Design driver at steam generators | Not applicable on N₂ power side; other Na risks remain |
| Load following | Thermal / steam-side limited | Inventory control option (to be demonstrated) |
| Maturity of full Na–N₂ SFR plant | Steam path is historically common | FOAK integration (see TRL table) |