3. International Topical Meeting on High Temperature Reactor Technology

Interest in high temperature reactors (HTRs) has grown dramatically over the last few years as fossil energy prices have increased, energy security has become a greater concern, and the hydrogen economy is seen as a potential long-term answer to global warming. The relatively small size of the modern HTR designs make them amenable for use as distributed energy sources where electric grid investments would be expensive or heat rejection requirements are restrictive. The high reactor coolant outlet temperature of the HTR makes it well suited for applications beyond electricity, including process heat for the petrochemical industry and for the generation of bulk hydrogen from thermochemical water splitting. The promise has always been there, but the implementation has been difficult and the timing premature in the past. Although HTR technology has had a long history, its past success has been varied. Today, many countries are embracing the HTR as one of the Generation IV reactor systems with the goals of enhanced safety, improved economics, increased sustainability, and better proliferation resistance. There are two small developmental HTRs operating today, with the scale up for commercial demonstration already planned. This paper reviews the history and reasons for interest in HTR technology, and summarizes the progress made in developing the technology in the leading nuclear countries of the world.