Technology Gap Analysis for the High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor

The High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor, or HTGR, is based on one of the first designs conceived for energy producing nuclear power plants, the Gas Cooled Reactor Its design has evolved since then to what it is today This study defines what an HTGR is today and what it may be in the future in terms of technological developments that may be used to produce power This is accomplished by searching through the past literature on the HTGR, noting commonalities, comparing potential component technologies, and concluding with potential research needs Some of the distinguishing features of the HTGR are the coated fuel particle, helium coolant, graphite moderator, and high temperatures compared to other reactor concepts These unique traits give the HTGR both advantages and disadvantages over other nuclear plant designs In terms of advantages, the HTGR's high temperatures allow for its multipurpose applications, releasing it from the constraints of solely generating electricity The current designs call for the use of passive heat removal systems, protecting the reactor from accidents even in the event of prolonged station blackout The HTGR does have some technical hurdles, as well, such as the management of the spent graphite fuel, as current repository and reprocessing designs would have to be modified to accommodate this In terms of technical readiness, the front end processes of the HTGR are much more developed than the back end The technologies such as the helium coolant and the coated fuel particles have been used extensively in the HTGRs in the past, such as Fort St Vrain, and are still being employed in HTGRs today, such as HTR-10 Reprocessing and waste disposal, do not have the same operational experience and are at the academic level for the time being, mainly due to the difficulties from processing of the irradiated graphite materials The HTGR, if the back end issues can be solved, could become a leader in symbiotic usage of energy generation with all other kinds of industries, such as oil sands and hydrogen production, in a cleaner way than the methods used today