Dynamic simulation and optimization of integrated clean energy water systems

Nuclear hybrid energy systems (NHES) are a viable option to provide clean power by combining renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. This study analyzes two types of NHES that use small modular reactors (SMR) and wind turbines to produce clean energy and water. The first system uses freeze desalination (FD) and the second system uses reverse osmosis (RO) to produce clean water. Both systems are optimized using net present value at two case locations. The FD system can better meet the energy demand using the stored thermal energy to boost the power during peak hours, which allows less capital investment on its design compared to the RO system. However, the results from the two cases reveal that the RO system can be more economic when water price is more than $1.50/m³. A sensitivity analysis also identified the critical system parameters on the net present value of the systems.