Workings of a

Nuclear Reactor
Reactor Basics
PWR
BWR
Key Reactor Power Terms
Availability Fraction of time over a
reporting period that the plant is
operational
If a reactor is down for maintenance 1 week
and refueling 2 weeks every year, the
availability factor of the reactor would be
(365-3 * 7) / 365 = 0.94

Key Reactor Power Terms
Capacity Fraction of total electric power
that could be produced
If reactor with a maximum thermal power
rating of 1000 MWt only operates at 900
MWt, the capacity factor would be 0.90
Efficiency Electrical energy output per
thermal energy output of the reactor
Eff=W/Q
R
(MWe/MWt)
Term
Visualization
Piecing Together a Reactor
1. Fuel
2. Moderator
3. Control Rods
4. Coolant
5. Steam Generator
6. Turbine/Generator
7. Pumps
8. Heat Exchanger
Basic Reactor Model
1
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F
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3
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C
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r
o
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r
o
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5
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S
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a
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g
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a
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4. Coolant
6.
8.
7.
Nuclear Power in the United States
~20% Nuclear Energy
103 Nuclear Reactors
31 States
34 BWRs
69 PWRs
Largest Plant
Palo Verde
3825 MWe/3 reactors
12
th
Largest in World
http://www.nei.org
Nuclear Power in the United States
Manufacturers
General Electric
www.ge.com
Westinghouse
www.westinghouse.com
AREVA NP
www.framatome-anp.com
ABB Combustion Eng.
www.abb.com
http://www.chemsoc.org
World Nuclear Power
443 Nuclear
Reactors in 30
Countries in
Operation, January
2006
Provided ~16%
World Production of
Energy in 2003
24 Nuclear Power
Plants under
Construction
http://www.insc.anl.gov
Reactor Generations
Gen I
Prototypes in 50s & 60s
Gen II
70s & 80s
Todays Operational
Reactors
BWR, PWR, CANDU,
Gen III
ABWR, APWR
Approved 90s
Some Built around the
World
Gen III+
Current Advanced Designs
in the Approval Process
Pebble Bed Reactor
Gen IV
Deploy in 2030
Economical
Safe
Minimize Waste
Reduce Proliferation
Reactor Generations
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
Pressure Vessel
Light Water
3.2% U-235 Fuel
2-4 Loops => Steam
UO
2
Pellets in Zircaloy
17 x 17 array
12 foot long bundle
~32% Efficiency
External Pipe Corrosion
Lower Capital Cost
AP600 Westinghouse
600 MWe
Passive Safety Cooling
Systems
Prefabricated and
Assembled On-Site
Simple Plant Design =
Reduced Volume and
Cost
3-year
Construction
Basic Diagram of a PWR
http://www.nrc.gov/
A PWR in Practice
http://www.nukeworker.com/
VVER Russian PWR (Water-Cooled,
Water-Moderated, Energy Reactor)
http://www.nucleartourist.com/
Other LWR Reactors
Republic of Korea
Optimized Power Reactor, OPR-1000
Advanced Power Reactor, APR-1400
System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor, SMART
(330 MWt)
Germany
KONVOI, 1300 MW
France
N4, 1450 MW
AREVA NP EPR (European
Pressurized-Water Reactor)
1600 MWe
36 37% Efficiency
Mixed Oxide (MOX)
Fuel
60 yr Service Life
3 4 yr Construction
Multiple Barriers and
Simple Safety
Systems
http://www.framatome-anp.com/

Westinghouse AP1000 Reactor
1117 1154 MWe
Improved AP600 Design
Same Basic Design
Same Inherent Safety
Optimized Power Output
Reduced Energy Costs
2 Steam Generators
3 year Construction
Final Design Approval in
December 2005!
http://www.ap1000.westinghousenuclear.com/
AP1000 Less Pieces
Nuclear News, November 2004
Boiling Water Reactor (BWR)
Direct Boiling
10% Coolant = Steam
Similar Fuel to PWR
Lower Power Density
than PWR
Corrosion Product
Activated in Core
Higher Radiation Field
GE ABWR
1350 MWe
(3926 MWt)
UO
2
Fuel
60 yr Service Life
Internalized Safety
and Recirculation
Systems
Basic Diagram of a BWR
http://www.nrc.gov/
A BWR in Practice
http://www.energy-northwest.com
ABWR (Advanced Boiling
Water Reactor)
1350 MWe
77% more compact than
BWR design
39 month construction
period
TOSHIBA, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 6, Japan
GE
ABWR Less Pieces
ABWR-II
Early 1990s - TEPCO, 5
other utilities, GE, Hitachi
and Toshiba began
development
1700 MWe
Goals
30% capital cost reduction
reduced construction time
20% power generation cost
reduction
increased safety
increased flexibility for
future fuel cycles
Commercialize latter
2010s

GE ESBWR (Economic Simplified
Boiling Water Reactor)
1550 MWe (4500 MWt)
Passive Condenser
Systems for Heat
Transfer
Standard Seismic Design
Improved Economics
Shorter Construction
Time
Reduced Plant Staff and
Operator Requirements
ESBWR