Predicted nuclear heating and temperatures in gas-cooled nuclear reactors for process heat applications

Abstract

The high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor (HTGR) is an attractive potential source of primary energy for many industrial and chemical process applications. Significant modification of current HTGR core design will be required to achieve the required elevations in exit gas temperatures without exceeding the maximum allowable temperature limits for the fuel material. A preliminary evaluation of the effects of various proposed design modifications by predicting the resulting fuel and gas temperatures with computer calculational modeling techniques is reported. The design modifications evaluated are generally those proposed by the General Atomic Company (GAC), a manufacturer of HTGRs, and some developed at the LASL. The GAC modifications do result in predicted fuel and exit gas temperatures which meet the proposed design objectives. (auth)