Supercritical Pressure Light Water Cooled Reactors

This book focuses on the latest reactor concepts, single pass core and experimental findings in thermal hydraulics, materials, corrosion, and water chemistry. It highlights research on supercritical-pressure light water cooled reactors (SCWRs), one of the Generation IV reactors that are studied around the world. This book includes cladding material development and experimental findings on heat transfer, corrosion and water chemistry. The work presented here will help readers to understand the fundamental elements of reactor design and analysis methods, thermal hydraulics, materials and water chemistry of supercritical water used as a coolant in nuclear power reactors. It will also help readers to broaden their understanding of fundamental elements of light water cooled reactor technologies and the evolution of reactor concepts.

Super Light Water Reactors and Super Fast Reactors provides an overview of the design and analysis of nuclear power reactors. Readers will gain the understanding of the conceptual design elements and specific analysis methods of supercritical-pressure light water cooled reactors. Nuclear fuel, reactor core, plant control, plant stand-up and stability are among the topics discussed, in addition to safety system and safety analysis parameters. Providing the fundamentals of reactor design criteria and analysis, this volume is a useful reference to engineers, industry professionals, and graduate students involved with nuclear engineering and energy technology.

The supercritical water cooled reactor (SCWR) is an innovative water cooled reactor concept which uses water pressurized above its thermodynamic critical pressure as the reactor coolant. This concept offers high thermal efficiencies and a simplified reactor system, and is hence expected to help to improve economic competitiveness. Various kinds of SCWR concepts have been developed, with varying combinations of reactor type (pressure vessel or pressure tube) and core spectrum (thermal, fast or mixed). There is great interest in both developing and developed countries in the research and development (R&D) and conceptual design of SCWRs. This publication consists of the background and objectives, descriptions of current SCWR design concepts, and major technical achievements from the CRP tasks based on the results of R&D at participating institutes and through their close collaboration. It provides researchers and engineers with a comprehensive and reliable database.

The High Performance Light Water Reactor (HPLWR) is a light water reactor with supercritical steam conditions which has been investigated within the 5th Framework Program of the European Commission. Due to the supercritical pressure of 25 MPa, water, used as moderator and as coolant, flows as a single phase through the core and can be directly fed to the turbine. Using the technology of coal fired power plants with supercritical steam conditions, the heat-up in the core is done in several steps to achieve the targeted high steam outlet temperature of 500 C without exceeding available cladding material limits. Based on a first design of a fuel assembly cluster for a HPLWR with a single pass core, the surrounding internals and the reactor pressure vessel are dimensioned for the first time, following the safety standards of the nuclear safety standards commission in Germany. Furthermore, this design is extended to the incorporation of core arrangements with two and three passes. The design of the internals and the RPV are verified using combined mechanical and thermal stress analyses and thermal-hydraulic analyses."

Results of the project "High Performance Light Water Reactor--Phase 2," carried out September 2006-February 2010 as part of the 6th European Framework Program.

Super Light Water Reactors and Super Fast Reactors provides an overview of the design and analysis of nuclear power reactors. Readers will gain the understanding of the conceptual design elements and specific analysis methods of supercritical-pressure light water cooled reactors. Nuclear fuel, reactor core, plant control, plant stand-up and stability are among the topics discussed, in addition to safety system and safety analysis parameters. Providing the fundamentals of reactor design criteria and analysis, this volume is a useful reference to engineers, industry professionals, and graduate students involved with nuclear engineering and energy technology.