Coupling a gas turbine with a helium-cooled nuclear reactor

This article examines a design for a Brayton cycle gas turbine where the heat source is a helium cooled nuclear reactor. The helium coolant serves as the working fluid for the gas turbine. Heat recovery is incorporated and adds to the achievement of 48% efficiency of the reactor and power conversion module. The system has low or negligible air emissions and produces 50% less radioactive waste and thermal discharge than conventional light-water reactors.