Sustainability and Economics of the Advanced High-Temperature Reactor
Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 3
Abstract
The advanced high-temperature reactor is a new reactor concept that combines four technologies in a new way: coated-particle nuclear fuels traditionally used for helium-cooled reactors, Brayton power cycles, passive safety systems and plant designs from liquid-cooled fast reactors, and low-pressure liquid-salt coolants. The new combination of technologies may enable the development of a large high-efficiency, lower-cost high-temperature reactor for electricity and hydrogen production. As the peak reactor coolant temperatures approach , several technologies (Brayton cycles, passive reactor safety systems, available materials, etc.) work together to improve total system performance while significantly reducing costs relative to those for other reactors. A window of performance and lower capital costs exists between these temperatures and the practical temperature limits of materials. The higher temperatures and efficiency of the Brayton power cycle greatly reduce the total heat rejection compared with that achieved in current light-water reactors and may allow economic heat rejection with dry cooling towers, thus radically reducing the water consumption used in energy production. The option for dry cooling is facilitated by the characteristics of Brayton cycles, which reject heat over a temperature range of and thus match the requirements of dry cooling systems.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Energy Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 3 • December 2006
Pages: 109 - 115
Copyright
© 2006 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 7, 2005
Accepted: Sep 7, 2005
Published online: Dec 1, 2006
Published in print: Dec 2006
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