Pg. 1 of 1 Development Approaches for the Advanced High Temperature Reactor

The AHTR is a pool-type reactor with graphite matrix coated-particle fuel and a clean molten salt coolant [1]. Due to the very high thermal inertia provided by the pool configuration and molten-salt coolant of the AHTR, the thermal power of the AHTR can be substantially higher than an equivalent gas-cooled reactor, likely exceeding 2000 MW(t). The AHTR, with a molten-salt intermediate loop and air-cooled reactor cavity cooling system (RCCS), eliminates all stored energy sources that could pressurize its containment (high-pressure gases, volatile liquids, and chemically reactive liquids and gases). By transporting heat with low pumping power, the AHTR permits multiplereheating in closed gas cycles, raising thermal efficiency by 4 to 8 percent for the same turbine inlet temperature. All of these characteristics suggest that the AHTR will have low capital costs, while achieving robust passive safety.