Abstract
This paper traces the development of heat exchangers for gas-cooled reactors, indicating the influence that the reactor design has had on the Magnox system and, more recently, on the reactors of the advanced gas-cooled type. It also discusses the possible line of development of boilers for the proposed High-Temperature Reactor which is the logical development of the present A.G.R. system.
This survey highlights particular problems such as the choice of tube surface and the preferred method of fabricating individual units, i.e. whether boilers should be contained in separate pods within the reactor vessel or in a single compartment around the core. Other items discussed are the choice of tube material for the developing gas conditions, the problem of control in once-through systems, and the problem of operation with varying load conditions which will arise when the installed nuclear capacity exceeds the base load. Reference is also made to the degree to which boiler units of the above type can be fabricated in other countries.
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