Low-temperature reactors for space heating: Simply constructed nuclear plants are being used in the USSR to provide heat at a cost substantially below that of oil-fired plants

A discussion is presented of three low-temperature reactor designs being pursued in the Soviet Union, Canada, and Sweden. By building reactors that operate at low temperatures, the governments and companies involved hope to reduce fears about safety, simplify the construction of the reactors, and reduce their costs. The aim is to produce energy at a cost substantially below that of the energy produced by oil-fired power plants and to use plants that need only minimal supervision, yet are safe enough to operate in populated regions.