Overview

The Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) program supports the design, licensing, and R&D necessary to accelerate the commercialization of gas-cooled reactor technology in the United States. Gas-cooled reactors are small-to-medium sized reactors capable of high-temperature operation in excess of 700°C. These plants have the right combination of size, heat-output and passive safety features to make them favorable candidates for use in industrial settings. DOE provides support through R&D ranging from fundamental nuclear phenomena to the development of advanced fuels that could improve the economic and safety performance of these advanced reactors. The NGNP program is a collaborative enterprise with participation by the Department’s national laboratories, U.S. universities, the nuclear industry, international partners, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

The program is working to develop the regulatory framework, design, and R&D to reduce technical uncertainties sufficient to support a Combined Operating License application to the NRC.   Near-term emphasis is on results that will support key decisions by the Secretary of Energy on the future of the program.  Important considerations include the availability of a licensable fuel for the reactor, qualification of nuclear grade graphite, design of high project-risk components such as steam-generators and gas-coolant circulators, and the form and content of a licensing application for an advanced gas-cooled reactor.

 

High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR)
Why the (HTGR) is important

Features and Characteristics : Helium cooled – noble gas does not chemically react High outlet temperature – 750° C or greater for high energy conversion efficiency and process heat uses Coated particle fuel – excellent fission product retention under operating and accident conditions Passive safety features – ensure public health and safety* Small to medium power output – good fit for industrial applications Improved fuel utilization – up to three times the burnup of light water reactors**

*Passive safety is achieved by designing for core cool-down during a postulated worst-case accident (a long-term, depressurized, loss-of-forced-convection accident) that limits the peak fuel temperatures to 1,600°C. This is accomplished by conducting the decay heat radially through the core and pressure vessel, then by radiant heat transfer to the reactor building structure, and, finally, by conduction to the ground. Additionally, the connection between the reactor vessel and the intermediate heat exchanger is deliberately made as short and robust as possible to minimize the possibility of damage.

**Improving fuel utilization increases the amount of energy that is extracted from the nuclear fuel. Improving fuel utilization: - reduces the amount of time refueling the plant - reduces the number of new nuclear fuel elements required and used nuclear fuel elements generated while producing a given amount of energy, and - reduces the potential for diversion of plutonium from spent fuel

Benefits of the NGNP

To meet our national goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions while maintaining a reliable and secure domestic energy supply, the United States must develop and deploy safe, clean, and affordable energy sources as quickly as possible. Nuclear energy has been and will continue to be a key component of our domestic energy portfolio. Nuclear power plants presently provide 20 percent of our nation’s electricity and constitute 70 percent of our low-emissions energy supply.

DOE’s NGNP Project supports a transformative application of nuclear energy to address the President’s goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing energy security. The NGNP’s HTGR technology is uniquely able to provide economical high-temperature industrial process heat with life cycle greenhouse gas emissions comparable to equivalent wind and solar energy output. HTGR technology can also be applied to the problem of domestic energy security --- the excessive reliance on imported oil and the volatile price of oil and natural gas.

The NGNP Project has supported the evaluation of use of this technology in a wide range of industrial applications. For example, the HTGR technology is a technically, environmentally and economically viable substitute for the burning of natural gas and other fossil fuels to supply steam, electricity and high temperature heat to industrial applications. Every 750 MWt of installed HTGR capacity will offset 1 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year when compared to a similarly sized natural gas plant. Based on DOE-EIA data there are over 3,000 non-utility generators in the U.S., the majority operating in a co-generating application and burning natural gas. The NGNP Project has performed technical and economic analyses of specific co-generation applications that show the HTGR technology can be competitive with natural gas as an energy source in these applications. The price of energy from the HTGR will be stable and secure, insulating the industries from the volatility in natural gas pricing. The use of HTGR technology in place of natural gas also secures this domestic resource for more productive uses in home heating and as feedstock for plastics and chemical manufacturing.

The NGNP Project has also performed studies integrating the HTGR technology with petro-chemical processes, (e.g., production of ammonium and ammonium products, coal-to-synthetic gas and liquid fuels, extraction of non-conventional crude, production of hydrogen). These studies show that the HTGR technology significantly reduces GHG emissions when compared with conventional processing. A coal to liquids plant powered by 3300 Mwt from HTGRs will produce 25,000 barrels per day of fuel from coal, (e.g., diesel, naphtha, LPG) with a 96 percent reduction in CO2 emissions when compared with a conventional coal-to-liquids plant. This application not only reduces emissions but also reduces the need to import this amount of crude oil by capitalizing on our country’s vast coal reserves.

In enabling the commercialization of HTGRs, the NGNP Project will continue to emphasize the HTGR technology as an energy supply option that reduces the dependence on premium fossil fuels for producing high temperature process heat for industrial purposes. This is a unique and exceptionally important capability of the HTGR that helps meet both greenhouse gas reduction goals and our need for energy security.