THE POTENTIAL FOR GAS-COOLED REACTOR DEVELOPMENT

Gas-cooled reactors (GCR) are currently fighting for survival in a wor ld now nearly completely committed to light water reactors (LWR). If s ome core nuclear design features could be simplified or improved while maintaining their already well-known safety attractions. GCR's would be able to compete better with other classes of reactors. This would b e even more true if their economics could be improved by considering g as-cooled fast breeder designs. A serious study of these possibilities may conclude once and for all whether simple gas-cooled reactors of c urrent technological standing can be designed. It is suggested that th e next step could be a down-rated gas-cooled breeder using AGR compone nt technology while available. A safety enforcing variant of this woul d admit some 'diluent' such as alumina into the core to act as an emer gency transient heat sink as well as to increase the doppler coefficie nt.