Abstract :
The paper reviews the possible development of gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactors for power production. It is shown that larger reactors of the Calder Hall type will produce electric power at a competitive cost in the United Kingdom. A very promising line of development is towards higher-temperature operation, since this increases both the heat rating of the reactor and the overall efficiency of the plant, although it requires the development of new materials, particularly for cladding the uranium. As higher temperatures are reached, interest is stimulated in the oxide and carbide forms of uranium, and for very high temperatures an all-ceramic reactor core has been suggested. The paper describes the use of recycled plutonium as a fuel, showing that under certain circumstances this is possible with a natural-uranium fuel. Comparison is also made of the relative merits of a number of possible coolant gases. It is concluded that, given research and development effort, the gas-cooled graphite-moderated reactor is capable of considerable development. For the base-load application, cheaper power should be possible, and the range of application may be extended to smaller power units tailored for specific purposes.
