← / methods
// 07
Closed-Loop Helium Brayton Cycle
A waterless power conversion loop — helium as the working fluid, direct or indirect Brayton topology.
Helium is chemically inert, radiologically transparent, and thermodynamically ideal. A direct Brayton loop converts reactor heat to shaft work at 45–50% efficiency without a steam cycle.
For arid deployments the consequence is decisive: the reactor no longer competes with municipal water tables. Cooling towers, once the dominant siting constraint, disappear.
The loop is a closed thermodynamic circuit; helium inventory is small and recoverable.