Motivation for and possibilities of using nuclear process heat

Abstract

A reduction in the use of fossil energy carriers on the energy supply sector will be made possible by a more efficient utilization of energy and the commercial application of nuclear energy. The resources of fossil energy carriers will be saved and the long-term supply of raw materials for the chemical industry will be ensured. High temperature reactors (HTRs) with spherical fuel elements are not only characterized by high conversion rates reducing uranium requirements to a minimum, but they also supply heat at a high temperature level. Besides electricity supply, this will also open up the much larger heat market to nuclear energy. Nuclear process heat can be used for heating purposes by way of energy transported over long distances or by district heating; it may also be used to cover the heat requirements in refining plants. This is shown by means of a supply strategy for the Federal Republic of Germany using secondary energy carriers. Profitability studies have shown that nuclear process heat has a number of economic advantages over conventional heat generation, which are still supplemented by ecological benefits (e.g. reduction in waste heat, SO 2 and CO 2 emissions). The ecological aspect will, no doubt, be of particular significance in the future, since even today some of the man-induced rates are reaching the levels of natural rates of mobilization of materials.