China’s HTR-PM (High Temperature) modular pebble bed reactor has finally started commmercial operation. It has two small reactors (each of 250 MWt) that drive a single 210 MWe steam turbine. It uses helium as coolant and graphite as the moderator. Each reactor is loaded with more than 400,000 spherical fuel elements (‘pebbles’), each 60 mm …
