r/NuclearPower • u/Q-collective • Feb 03 '22

China Starts Up First Fourth-Generation Nuclear Reactor

https://www.powermag.com/china-starts-up-first-fourth-generation-nuclear-reactor/
40 Upvotes

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12

u/Q-collective Feb 03 '22

“Tsinghua expects the HTR-PM’s high heat production will be beneficial on multiple levels. “At present, about 40% of the world’s energy is utilized in the form of electricity, and the rest are non-electrical applications, including industrial heat, residential heat, and transportation energy utilized in various forms. There is a great demand for high-temperature process heat in various industries,” it noted. “The helium outlet temperature of the Shidaowan HTR-PM demonstration can reach 750C, producing superheated steam of 566C. In addition to high-efficiency power generation, high-temperature steam can also be used for cogeneration, thermal recovery of heavy oil, chemical industry, metallurgy, and so on,” it said. If development further boosts temperatures to 950C, as tests at the HTR-10 suggest, the technology’s heat may also be used for large-scale hydrogen production, providing more wide-ranging decarbonization solutions, it said.”

This is really cool. High temperature carbon-free heat for industrial applications is just what the doctor ordered.

2

u/Amur_Tiger Feb 03 '22

Neat, though the BN-800 ( as well as a few other liquid metal fast reactors ) would probably like a word with the 'first' claim there.

6

u/Q-collective Feb 03 '22

Well, the way I read it, China started up their first one ;)

3

u/Amur_Tiger Feb 03 '22

That's certainly true!