HTGR, reactor

The metal is a source of nuclear power. There is probably more energy available for use from thorium in the minerals of the earth s crust than from both uranium and fossil fuels. Any sizable demand from thorium as a nuclear fuel is still several years in the future. Work has been done in developing thorium cycle converter-reactor systems. Several prototypes, including the HTGR (high-temperature gas-cooled reactor) and MSRE (molten salt converter reactor experiment), have operated. While the HTGR reactors are efficient, they are not expected to become important commercially for many years because of certain operating difficulties. 

Fuel clad material - the material of the tube containing the fuel pellets or rods. Basically, there are three types of cladding - magnesium alloys (e.g. Magnox), stainless steel, or various zirconium alloys. HTGR reactors use fuel particles coated with pyrolitic carbon and silicon carbide in two layers. Data providers should choose the appropriate option from the multiple-choice menu magnesium alloy, stainless steel, zirconium alloy, zirconium-magnesium alloy, carbide compound. 

Kuijper, J., et al., 2006. HTGR reactor physics and fuel cycle studies. Nuclear Engineering and Design 236, 615—634. 

Meanwhile, many experimental facilities were set up and the theoretical calculations for the HTR-OTTO-2001 (thermal power) were completed. The intention was to begin building a real HTGR reactor after accomplishing the eight research topics mentioned here. 

The highest power of a reactor of the HTGR type was 330 MWe in Fort St. Vrain, Colorado. The reactor, started in 1979, had many technical problems, including helium leaks, and did not perform up to expectations. It was shut down in 1989. 

The HTGR designed by the General Atomic Company and constructed at Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., was a 40 MW(e) experimental power plant which was similar in many respects to the Dragon reactor. Peach Bottom started commercial operation on June 1, 1967, and ceased operation on October 31, 1974 [36]. The major performance parameters of the Peach Bottom Reactor are shown in Table 8. 

Bottom 1 prototype HTGR operated successfully in all respects under the auspices of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission s Power Reactor Demonstration Program. However, its si2e (only 40 MW) was insufficient to justify continued commercial operation. 

The Fort St. Vrain HTGR was permanently shutdown in August 1988 [41]. The nuclear island performed well dining the reactors 15-year life, although significant problems were encoxmtered with some of the reactors non-nuclear support systems [29,38]. 

Saito, S., Status of the HTGR Program in Japan. In Proceedings of the IAEA Specialists meeting on the Status of Graphite Development for Gas Cooled Reactors, IAEA-TECHDOC-690, IAEA, Vienna, 1993. pp. 29 36. 

---