Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for HTR deployment in Europe

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Abstract

High temperature nuclear reactors are a technology, of which early versions were demonstrated in the 1960s–1980s in Germany (AVR, THTR) and the United States (Peach Bottom, Fort St. Vrain). HTRs were initially designed for high temperature, high efficiency electricity generation but the technology, the market and the targeted applications have evolved since then to address industrial cogeneration and new operational conditions (in particular new safety regulations). This paper intends to analyse the latest status of HTR today, as regards their intrinsic strengths and weaknesses and their external context, whether positive (opportunities) or negative (threats). Different dimensions are covered by the analysis: technology status, results from R&D programmes (especially in Europe), competences and skills, licensing aspects, experience feedback from demonstrator operation (in particular in Germany), economic conditions and other non-technical aspects. Europe has a comprehensive experience in the field of HTR with capabilities in both pebble bed and prismatic designs (R&D, engineering, manufacturing, operation, dismantling, and the full fuel cycle). Europe is also a promising market for HTR as the process heat market is large with good industrial and cogeneration infrastructures. The analysis of the European situation is to a good deal indicative for the global potential of this technology.

Introduction

This study was performed with the support of the European FP7 project ARCHER. Its first phase aimed at evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of high temperature nuclear reactors (HTR) in Europe.

Section 2 will address the external context of HTR while Section 3 will cover salient technical strengths and potential weaknesses of HTR.

Section snippets

External context of HTR in Europe and impact on deployment

The European context is crucial to develop and deploy HTR successfully in Europe. It provides opportunities of which HTR should take maximum benefit and threats that should be alleviated at best. HTR are put in the context of the liberalised market with competing technologies, in the European energy policy framework and industry and of international cooperation.

Technical aspects of HTR concepts

This section presents some technical aspects which are to be considered as strengths or weaknesses. Some of them deal with HTRs in which the He outlet temperature is particularly high (order of 950 °C, Very High Temperature Reactor VHTR) to power specific thermochemical processes, e.g. for hydrogen production. We also shortly outline strategies to deliver such a very high temperature heat product, but without imposing these temperatures on the entire reactor.

General SWOT analysis for HTR

Analysing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of HTR in Europe is a prerequisite to deploying this technology. Strengths and weaknesses relate to intrinsic features of a specific technology while opportunities and threats look at the general context.

Any innovative technology that goes beyond a business as usual level significantly impacts the activities of the stakeholders, e.g. in the case of HTR licensing authorities, nuclear operators and industrial heat end-users.

Conclusion

The objective of this SWOT analysis is to analyse HTR technology in its context and to position it with respect to competing technologies.

Cogeneration and electricity were found to be potentially attractive markets for HTR. European policies on energy and CO2 emissions are favourable to low-carbon energies like uncertainties around gas supply and price. HTR technology would, however, have to compete against established technologies. Some aspects, not necessarily specific to HTR, remain

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Retired from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Prof. emeritus from RWTH Aachen Nordstr. 25, D-52428 Jülich, Germany.

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