The combined goals of CO2 emission reduction and energy self-sufficiency, in the current geopolitical context, open up new perspectives for nuclear applications (cogenerations, hydrogen production, etc.). In particular, the MNR concepts (Micro Nuclear Reactors), with a thermal power of 2 to 50 MW, bear the promise of flexibility, while providing much reliability and accrued safety.
Among the MNR technologies, the particular concept in which the core is cooled by heat pipes strongly improves the inherent safety of the design, in normal and in accidental conditions as well.
In order to demonstrate the feasibility of such an MNR technology, a predesign of a single high temperature heat pipe should be performed for different selected technologies. Then, the overall heat pipe cooling system should be evaluated. Finally, after having modelled the core cooling system, an integration study including a predesign of the core itself should be done with the two subsystems coupled.