NUCL402 Exam 1 Review

What does PWR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Pressurized Water Reactor

Uses water as coolant and moderator, operating under high pressure stops bulk boiling from occurring within the reactor core, it transfers heat through loops containing a pump and a steam generator.

What does BWR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Boiling Water Reactor

Uses water as coolant and moderator, allows the coolant to boil within the pressure vessel, this creates a negative void coefficient that provides a mechanism for automatic load following.

What does PWHR (CANDU) stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (CANadian Deuterium natural Uranium)

Uses natural UO₂ fuel (unenriched), uses heavy water as coolant and moderator, uses horizontal calandria with tubes for fueling and cooling.

What does LWGR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Light Water Graphite Reactor

Uses enriched UO₂ fuel and water as a coolant, but uses graphite as its moderator.

What does GCR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Gas Cooled Reactor

Can use natural or enriched Uranium, uses a gas like CO₂ or He as a coolant and graphite as a moderator

What does FBR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Fast Breeder Reactor

Uses PuO₂ and UO₂ as fuel, liquid sodium as coolant, and uses NO moderator, instead relying on a fast neutron spectrum.

What does HTGR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

High Temperature Gas cooled Reactor

A gas cooled reactor designed to operate a significantly higher temperatures (750-900C), uses graphite moderators, helium coolant, and ceramic fuel.

How many operable PWR reactors are there? How many are being built?

311, 62

How many operable BWR reactors are there?

60

How many operable PWHR reactors are there? How many are being built?

47, 1

How many operable LWGR reactors are there?

10

How many operable GCR reactors are there?

8

How many operable FBR reactors are there?

2

How many operable HTGR reactors are there?

1

What are the elements that make up a BWR reactor? Draw them.

Containment structure

Reactor vessel

Control rods

Generator

Condenser

What are the elements that make up a PWR reactor? Draw them.

Drawing 1 (Not pictured, Lec1-_)

Containment structure

Pressurizer

Control rods

Reactor vessel

Steam generator

Turbine

Generator

Condenser

Drawing 2 (Pictured, Lec2-9)

Containment structure

Control rods

Reactor vessel

Generator

Turbine

Condenser cooling water

Cooling tower

Name some typical fuel forms used in reactors.

Pellets of UO2 in tubes

Fuel rods

Assemblies in the reactor core

What is the role of moderator? Name some typical kinds.

To thermalize neutrons.

Water

Graphite

What is the role of control rods? Name some typical kinds.

To absorb neutrons.
Cadmium

Hafnium

Boron

Name some kinds of coolant used in reactors.

A liquid or gas circulating through the core

Water

LM

CO2

He

What is the role of the pressure vessel/pressure tubes in a reactor?

Steel vessel containing the reactor core and moderator/coolant

What is the steam generator used in a reactor?

The cooling system where the heat from the reactor is used to generate steam.

What is the containment element of a reactor?

The structure around the reactor core which is designed to protect it from outside intrusion and to protect those outside from the effects of radiation in case of any malfunction inside. It is typically a meter-thick concrete and steel structure.

Name some notable components of BWRs

Jet pumps

Turbine generator with shielding

Name the 5 elements in BWR containment.

Primary containment

Drywell

Wetwell

Suppression pool

Vent system

What are the elements that make up a AGR reactor? Draw them.

1.Charge tubes

2.Control rods

3.Graphite moderator

4.Fuel assemblies

5.Concrete pressure vessel and radiation shielding

6.Gas circulator

7.Water

8.Water circulator

9.Heat exchanger

10.Steam

What does ABWR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Advanced Boiling Water Reactor

Modernized BWR by eliminating the external recirculation system, now using 10 reactor internal pumps (RIPs) in the pressure vessel.

What does AGR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Advanced Gas Reactor

Gas cooled reactor that uses CO₂ as coolant and containing the entire primary system in a steel lined enforced concrete pressure vessel.

How many operable LWGR reactors are there?

14

What does PBMR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Pebble Bed Modular Reactor

Makes use of TRISO fuel pebbles that can be continuously refueled.

What does HTR-10 stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

High Temperature Reactor - 10MWt output

Experimental, very high temperature reactor.

What does GT-MHR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Gas Turbine - Modular Helium Reactor

Does direct electricity generation with a Brayton cycle gas turbine.

What does VVER stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Vodo-Vodyanoi Energetichesky Reaktor (water-water energy reactor)

Russian PWR reactor using a horizontal steam generator.

What does RMBK stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Reaktor Bolshoy Moshchnosti Kanalnyy (high-power channel-type reactor)

A type of LWGR that can be refueled while running.

What does AP1000 stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Advanced Passive (rough output of 1000 MW or more)

Designed with passive systems that can go for 72 hours without operator intervention

What does ESBWR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor

Simplified BWR with no recirculation pumps, only natural circulation for coolant flow.

What does EPR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Evolutionary Power Reactor

Uses a corium spreader to manage and cool molten fuel in the event of a core meltdown, high capacity of 1600 MW.

What does GFR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Gas-cooled Fast Reactor

Fast neutron reactor cooled with helium gas, proposed to be capable of burning transuranics.

What does SFR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

Fast neutron reactor that uses liquid sodium as the coolant and moderator, operating with a low pressure vessel (about 1 atm).

What does LFR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Lead-cooled Fast Reactor

Fast neutron reactor that uses molten lead as the coolant and moderator, a drawback being the lead could harden, making the reactor inoperable.

What does MSR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Molten Salt Reactor

Fuel and fission products are dissolved directly into fluoride salt, resulting in potentially high thermal efficiencies.

What does SCWR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Super-Critical Water-cooled Reactor

Uses supercritical water (25 MPa) as the moderator and coolant creating high efficiency.

What does VHTR stand for? What makes this reactor unique?

Very High Temperature Reactor

A reactor that operates at very high temperatures, that’s literally it.