Objective Against the backdrop of the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" goals driving energy restructuring and the need to enhance energy security by reducing fossil fuel dependence, nuclear energy, as a clean energy source, is expected to play an increasingly significant role in both power generation and non-electric applications. Among these, nuclear-based heating stands out as the most promising application beyond electricity production. This paper provides a comprehensive review of nuclear heating technologies, aiming to serve as a reference for future engineering projects and technical research in this field.

Method The development of nuclear energy heating abroad was introduced in this paper, particularly small modular reactors for heating and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and the current development status of nuclear energy heating in China was focused on and expounded. The characteristics of nuclear energy heating were described in detail, including diversity of options, heat load mismatch, long-distance transportation, and high safety, and the development of nuclear energy heating technology in China was prospected.

Result Nuclear energy heating technology in China is still in its infancy, but with the launch of a new high-speed development phase of nuclear power and strengthened support from various domestic policies, after the successive completion and commissioning of demonstration projects such as the Changjiang "Linglong One" SMR and the Xuwei Nuclear Energy Heating Project, China's nuclear energy heating technology will step into the international leading level.

Conclusion Nuclear energy heating provides a new development path for nuclear energy utilization. The nuclear energy heating technology introduced in this paper can serve as a technical reference for related engineering applications.