The ceramic fuel and core, inert helium coolant and superior safety characteristics of the modular High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) are the bases for its potential to displace the fossil energy resources that are presently dominant in industrial process steam and cogeneration applications. In achieving this potential, a particular challenge is to provide a flexible and efficient coupling between the high-temperature HTGR heat source and various industrial processes. This challenge was addressed in the course of developing the conceptual design of the Steam Cycle-Modular Helium Reactor for the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project. This paper characterizes the energy requirements of high-potential process steam and cogeneration applications and describes the development of a steam utilization architecture that can serve a wide range of industrial applications with superior flexibility and efficiency.

Volume Subject Area:
Advanced Reactors and Near-Term Deployment
Topics:
Combined heat and power, Cycles, Helium, Steam, Very high temperature reactors, Ceramics, Conceptual design, Coolants, Energy resources, Fuels, Heat, High temperature, Nuclear power stations, Safety
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.