Nuclear process heat for industry to ease the demand on fossil fuels.
Supplying The Energy You Need
There are many potential applications of the high temperature gas-cooled reactor in the drilling and refining segments of the petroleum industry. The reactor can support future refinery operations by providing the significant quantities of process heat and hydrogen required for the various oil refining processes.
The current process of refining oil consumes a percent of the total energy content of the crude oil. Much of the energy loss is for the generation of the heat necessary to purify the crude into gasoline. Using nuclear energy at a refinery would allow a more efficient conversion of crude oil into each barrel of gasoline. Further aiding the process, the hydrogen created as a by-product could be used to de-sulfur crude oil and to convert tar sands and heavy oils to liquid fuels.
The primary advantage of using a high temperature gas-cooled reactor is a more predictable fuel supply. With current fossil fuel prices and the anticipated increased attention and controls applied to carbon emissions, the high temperature gas-cooled reactor appears to be an attractive alternative to burning fossil fuels to refine oil.