Status and Future Development for Nuclear Cogeneration System GTHTR300C

GTHTR300C is a small modular reactor based on a 600 MWt high temperature gas reactor (HTGR) and intended for a number of cogeneration applications such as process heat supply, hydrogen production, steelmaking, desalination in addition to power generation. The basic design has been completed by JAEA together with Japanese heavy industries. The reactor design and key plant technologies have been validated through test reactor and equipment verification. Future development includes demonstration programs to be performed on a 50 MWt system HTR50S. The demonstration programs are implemented in three steps. In the first step, a base commercial plant for heat and power is to be constructed of the same fuel proven in JAEA’s successful 950°C, 30 MWt HTGR test reactor and a conventional steam turbine such that the construction can readily proceed without major development requirement and risk. Beginning in the second step, a new fuel presently being developed at JAEA is expected to be available. With this fuel, the core outlet temperature is raised to 900°C for purpose of demonstrating more efficient gas turbine power generation and high temperature heat supply. Added in the final step is a thermochemical process to demonstrate nuclear-heated hydrogen production via water decomposition. A licensing approach to coupling high temperature industrial process to nuclear reactor will be developed. The designs of GTHTR300C and HTR50S will be presented and the demonstration programs will be described.