Originally Posted by
Intruder
Back in the '80s, a pair of HTGCRs (High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors) were proposed in the US (Arizona, IIRC). They were also based on the Thorium cycle. Advantages included inherent safety - they shut down when they lost coolant gas (I don't recall what gas was used, but likely Helium). They were never built, probably as a result of the 3-Mile Island mishap.
https://www.alternative-energies.net...actors-energy/
Iirc, the HTGCRs turned out to be very troublesome to make, partly because high temperature helium is difficult to confine. The plant was transformed into a fossil fuel powered site. I believe that General Atomic, the construction manager, went out of the reactor business as a result.
That said, there is no question that nuclear power could blend happily with the hydrogen economy, as the inefficiency of hydrogen electrolysis is no problem for a reactor where fuel costs are minute relative to the capital cost. The reactor can generate electricity or hydrogen as required, bur runs 24/7, unlike solar panels or wind turbines. A cheap and reliable reactor is what is needed, not another frail technological miracle.