Status and Progress for the Pebble-Bed Advanced High
Temperature Reactor (AHTR) by Per Peterson Mar 2009 [53 page pdf]
Overview of intermediate and long term nuclear energy options
* Modular PB-AHTR design
900 MWth / 410 MWe
Core power density 20 – 30 MW/m3
Core inlet/outlet temps 600°C/704°C
Uses available ASME Section III Materials
* Modular PB-AHTR development
Only 1% of the cost of nuclear plant construction in the USA is for natural resources ($35/KW for natural resources – metal and concrete, out of recent $3500/KW construction cost).
Three primary options exist for long-term, sustainable nuclear energy systems
• Fast neutron spectrum reactors
– Uranium-238 based fuel cycle
– Increased fission/capture probability (good neutron economy)
– Large transuranic inventories and complex reactivity control
• Thermal neutron spectrum reactors
– Thorium-232 based fuel cycle
– Requires highly efficient neutron economy (liquid fuels best)
– Small transuranic inventories and simple reactivity control
• Fission/fusion thermal spectrum hybrid reactors
– Uranium-238 or Thorium-232 based fuel cycle
– Abundant neutrons
– Small transuranic inventories and simple reactivity control
– Requires workable fusion power source
Comparison of PB-AHTR with the PBMR:
– 2 x power output per reactor
– ~30 MWth/m^3 core power density versus 4.8 MWth/m^3
– large reduction in vessel size
– atmospheric pressure operation
– 4 x reduction in spent fuel volume per unit of electricity/process steam
produced
– maximum fuel temperature during transients/accidents reduced from 1600°C to 1000°C
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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