réacteur à haute température refroidi au gaz
- Domaine
-
- physique réacteur nucléaire
- Date
Définition :
Réacteur nucléaire refroidi par un circuit pressurisé d'hélium.
Note :
Le combustible est constitué d'oxyde ou de carbure d'uranium fortement enrichi (93 %), en boulettes avec un modérateur de graphite et céramique pour tenir aux fortes températures du cœur.
Terme :
- réacteur à haute température refroidi au gaz n. m.
Terme associé :
- réacteur à haute température refroidi par gaz n. m.
Traductions
-
anglais
Date :Définition
A nuclear reactor in which heat is extracted from the core by helium coolant in a pressurized cooling circuit.
Notes :
An approach to commercial nuclear power which would permit more efficient use of uranium and some use of thorium in its fuel cycle. Also offers greater thermal efficiency than light water reactors.
The fuel used is highly enriched uranium carbide or oxide and its fabrication involves coating small pellets of fuel with graphite moderator and ceramic material, and firing to give small spheres capable of withstanding very high temperatures in the reactor core. Operating at temperatures higher than those attained in the Magnox, CANDU or LWR designs allow for more efficient electricity generation, and it is envisaged that the steam heat-exchanger could be eliminated by allowing the hot helium emerging from the core cooling circuit to drive a gas turbine directly.
With HTR technology it is hoped to take advantage of the thorium-uranium fuel cycle by using fertile thorium fuel in the core. Neutron bombardment transmutes thorium-232 into uranium-233, a fissile uranium isotope, which needs to be separated from thorium-232 and other fission products by reprocessing before it can be used as nuclear fuel.Termes :
- high temperature gas cooled reactor
- HTR
- HTGCR
- high temperature gas-cooled reactor