Plant for producing hydrogen by utilizing the thermal energy generated in a gas-cooled high-temperature reactor

The invention concerns the design of equipment of a plant for producing hydrogen by utilizing the thermal energie generated in a gas-cooled high-temperature reactor. This energy is supplied by the coolant gas to a number of steam reformers and to steam generators connected in series with those. According to the invention, the high-temperature nuclear reactor, the cracking tube-furnaces as will as the recuperative heat exchangers connected with them, and the steam generators are housed within recesses of a common prestressed concrete pressure vessel. The claims refer to the guiding of the gas ducts (coaxial gas flow) and the geometrical arrangement of the internals in the pressure vessel with respect to each other. (UWI)