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For the gas turbine to find acceptance in the hybrid electric automotive market its major features must be dominated by the following considerations, low cost, high performance, low emissions, compact size and high reliability. Not meeting the first two criteria has been nemesis of earlier attempts to introduce the gas turbine for automotive service. With emphasis on the design simplicity for low cost and high performance, this paper addresses design considerations for the major components, and overall turbogenerator configuration. Initially all metallic engines will be introduced in hybrid electric vehicles, but their high cost will likely preclude them from the high volume commercial market. To match or better the performance and cost of advanced automotive piston engines, the success of the very small turbogenerator is viewed as being dependent upon the use of ceramic components in the hot-end, including the turbine, combustor, recuperator and ducts.

The first industrial closed-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant started service in Switzerland in 1939 and demonstrated the utilization of coal as the fuel, and operation in a combined power and heat production mode, and these were viewed as attributes towards its deployment on a commercial scale. Introduction of further plants in Europe was delayed by two factors: (1) restricted business during the second world war, and (2) the subsequent use of aircraft-derived gas turbines burning oil and gas which were cheap and in plentiful supply. About 15 fossil-fired CCGT plants operated well in Europe (some of them into the 1980s), but both technical and economic factors limited further deployment. The CCGT capability to operate well at high pressure, and with perfect inert gases (e.g., helium) makes it an attractive prime mover for coupling with a nuclear heat source.

The renaissance of the high temperature gas-cooled reactor is largely based on its recognized inherent and unquestionable safety, and its versatility to meet many emerging opportunities for the 21st century. In this paper, applications for gas-cooled reactors are traced from the basic fuel particle through fuel element types, core geometry arrangements, and the various ways of utilizing the nuclear thermal energy for the ultimate end user. Reactor type and size are discussed in terms of applications as diverse as terrestrial power generation, high temperature process heat for synthetic fuel production, space power and propulsion systems, and for powering underwater vehicles. With unique versatility, the high temperature gas-cooled reactor will surely play a prominent role in thermal energy systems in the 21st century.