Fission/Nuclear Heat

This chapter examines the role of nuclear energy in providing thermal energy for a diverse set of applications. This chapter is divided into multiple parts. In the first part, the source of nuclear energy, that is, the fission process is examined in details with the follow-up discussion on different types of applications of nuclear heat depending on its temperature level. This is followed by the strategies for growth in nuclear heat and a detailed analysis of different types of nuclear reactors that are used to recover nuclear heat. These different types of reactors are also compared for their performance. In recent years, significant efforts have been made to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMR) to generate nuclear heat in a distributed manner and with less risk and investment. This chapter examines the development of SMR at global scale. This is followed by detailed descriptions of the use of nuclear heat for seven different applications. These include the use of nuclear heat for district heating, industrial process heat applications, oil production and refining, thermochemical transformations, and other methods to produce hydrogen, desalination of water, and its use to provide heat and power for ship, submarine, and space transportations. Finally, this chapter analyzes the global use of nuclear heat and its potential future.