MHTGR/coal gasification-an environmentally acceptable technology for clean coal utilization in the United States

A new generation of nuclear power plants, such as the modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR), which is characterized by its inherently passive safety features and quiescent nature, is in the early stage of deployment. A nuclear/clean coal energy supply option with improved environmental characteristics that uses to the fullest extent the two resources (coal and uranium) that are abundant in the US is outlined. It uses nuclear heat in the coal gasification process. The major theme is that, for the foreseeable future, the MHTGR will not replace coal but rather complement it, and that the integration of the two technologies offers a very attractive clean coal option. The MHTGR concept and deployment are discussed, coal nuclear synergy is examined, and nuclear coal gasification is described