GEMINI 4.0 Summer School 2024: Uniting Industry and Academia on High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) Technology

GEMINI 4.0 Summer School 2024: Uniting Industry and Academia on High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) Technology.

 

From September 24 to 26, 2024, the GEMINI 4.0 Summer School brought together students, young engineers, and industry representatives to explore High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) technology, marking the first European Summer School to include industry participation. This event provided a comprehensive overview of HTGR’s potential applications, from energy production to process heat and hydrogen, as well as the socio-economic factors shaping this sector.

 

Event Highlights and Insights

The Summer School featured 70 participants from across Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia, along with representatives from nine industrial enterprises. Fréderic Reitsma from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Joseph Sobolewski, Director of High-Temperature Reactors Development at Poland’s National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ), opened the sessions with a review of international and European nuclear advancements in decarbonizing energy production. Dominique Hittner, CEO of HIT, emphasized the unique capability of HTGR to meet energy market demands. Michel Pasquet, GEMINI 4.0 Project Coordinator, introduced GEMINI 4.0’s key projects, including the Polish HTGR-POLA initiative, aimed at beginning construction in 2028.

 

Technical and Application-Focused Presentations

The history and advancements in HTGR technology were discussed, showcasing reactors such as Fort St. Vrain (U.S.), AVR (Germany), HTR-PM (China), and HTTR (Japan). HTGR technology’s established design and licensing standards were underscored, highlighting innovations such as TRISO fuel and helium cooling. Presentations by Olivier Tougait from Framatome and Zuzanna Krajewska from Idaho National Laboratory demonstrated TRISO fuel’s high-temperature resilience up to 1600°C, affirming HTGR’s maturity and suitability for high-efficiency energy production.

 

Safety, Licensing, and Market Applications

Safety and licensing considerations were outlined by Frédéric Reitsma, covering design principles that ensure HTGR’s inherent safety. Sessions on energy applications, led by Michael Fütterrer from JRC, Robert Alford from the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), and Dominique Hittner, addressed HTGR’s role in industrial cogeneration, aiming to reduce reliance on gas. Additionally, the integration of nuclear energy with renewables was discussed as a pathway toward a reliable, net-zero future. Hydrogen production methods, including high-temperature steam electrolysis, were presented by Marcin Błesznowski and Mariusz Ilnicki, who noted HTGR’s potential in the growing ammonia and synthetic fuels markets.

 

Socio-Economic Factors and Future Outlook

The socio-economic discussions explored HTGR’s market viability and synergy with renewables. Pierre-Marie Plet from WANO highlighted both opportunities and challenges for HTGR cogeneration, while Blazej Chmielarz from USNC discussed the economic benefits of HTGR in hybrid systems with fossil fuels. The event concluded with Jozef Sobolewski affirming HTGR’s role in advancing European energy policies and addressing workforce challenges within the nuclear sector, noting the importance of knowledge management to attract the next generation of nuclear professionals.

 

The GEMINI 4.0 Summer School 2024 was an invaluable platform, sparking collaboration between academia and industry to advance HTGR technology and its role in achieving net-zero emissions and energy security in Europe and beyond.

 

Many thanks to the lecturers who provided the quality and the competence required for this type of exercises: M. Dabrowski, (NCBJ), F. Reitsma (IAEA), D. Hittner (HTR), O. Tougait (Framatome), Z. Krajewska (INL), M. Fütterrer (JRC), R. Alford (NNL), T. Melichar (CRV), M. Błesznowski, J. Herzog (IPE), M. Ilnicki (Synthos), P. M. Plet (OPIIM), B. Chmielarz (USNC), J. Sobolewski (NCBJ), M. Pasquet (Framatome).

 

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