Overview of CANDU Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR)

and the Canadian Nuclear Industry

Mikko I. Jyrkama and Mahesh D. Pandey
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
Steam (light water)
Steam
Generator
Pressurizer
Pump/Motor
Assembly
Feedwater
(light water)
Calandria
Fueling Machine Fueling Machine
Moderator (heavy water)
Fuel Channels
Feeders
From Fuel
Channels
High Presure
Turbine
Feedwater
Pump
Assembly
Condenser
Moderator
Pump
Moderator
Heat Exchanger
Low Pressure Turbines
Cooling
Water
Generator
Switchyard
Power
to Grid
To Fuel
Channels
Fuel
CANDU

- CANada Deuterium Uranium

Calandria
End Shield
Tubesheet
End Fitting
Feeder
Pipe
Channel
Closure
Liner Tube
Positioning
Assembly
Heavy Water Moderator
Fuel Bundles
Shield Plug
Fuel Channel Lattice Tube
Calandria Tube Pressure Tube
Annulus Gas (CO2)
Fuel Bundle
Heavy Water Coolant
Annulus Spacer
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
7
2
0
0
8
2
0
0
9
2
0
1
0
2
0
0
6
2
0
1
1
2
0
1
2
2
0
1
3
2
0
1
4
2
0
1
5
2
0
1
6
2
0
1
7
2
0
1
8
2
0
1
9
2
0
2
0
2
0
2
1
2
0
2
2
2
0
2
3
Pickering 2,3
Restart
IMO Median Demand Growth ~0.9% p.a.
MWDispatchable (after avg. Capacity Factors applied)
36,000
34,000
32,000
30,000
28,000
26,000
24,000
22,000
20,000
18,000
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
R
e
s
o
u
rc
e
s
(M
W
)
Coal (as shutdown)
New Hydro
(incl. ~1,400 MWfrom Manitoba)
Existing Resources (2005)
11,000 MW
7,700 MW
7,600 MW
5,100 MW
Nuclear
Hydro
Coal
Gas
Total Gas ~12,000 MW(~30% of Installed MW)
New Gas Builds ~7,000 MWInstalled
Nuclear Refurbishment
Bruce & Darlington
(Pickering A&B run to
end of current life)
New Nuclear (6,100 MWnet)
Six ACR-1000 units
Wind/Renewable ~10% of Installed MW
Reactor Assembly
Acknowledgements
This work is part of the NSERC-UNENE Industrial Research Chair (IRC)
program at the University of Waterloo. The Chair is one of the six
university professorships established by UNENE in Ontario. The
program is funded by UNENE in partnership with NSERC. Industrial
sponsorship is provided by Ontario Power Generation, Bruce Power,
and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.
Regulation
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Steam Outlet Nozzle
Shroud Cone
Tube Bundle
Tube Bundle Hot Leg
Tubesheet
D2O Inlet D2O Outlet
Feedwater Inlet Nozzle
Preheater Section
Tube Bundle Cold Leg
Grid Tube Support Plate
Shroud
U Bend
Primary Cyclone Separators
Secondary Cyclone Separators
Manway
CANDU Evolution
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
900
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Years
P
o
w
e
r
(
M
W
e
)
900 MW Class
Reactors
600 MW Class
Reactors
Research & Prototype
Reactors
ZEEP
NRX NPD
NRU
RAPP 1,2
Douglas Point
KANUPP
Pickering A Pickering B
Gentilly 2
Embalse Pt. Lepreau
Wolsong 1 Cernavoda 1
Wolsong 2,3,4
Qinshan 1,2
Bruce A Bruce B
Darlington
CANDU 9
Demand for Electricity UNENE
Nuclear Nuclaire
Gross Capacity (per unit)
Net Capacity (per unit)
Construction Start
Start-up
Fuel:
Elements in bundle/bundles per channel
Total number of fuel bundles in core
Fuel Channels:
Number
Calandria tube material
Calandria tube ID/wall thickness (mm)
Pressure tube material
Pressure tube ID/wall thickness (mm)
Heat Transport System
Number of loops
Reactor inlet/outlet temperature (C)
Number of heat transport pumps
Number of steam generators
Number of SG tubes/material
791 MW
740 MW
Operator
Reactor
Unit
Bruce A Bruce B
1-4
Dec 1970
Jul 1976
37/13
6240
480
a. Zircaloy-2
129/1.37
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.06
4
250-265/304
4
8*
4200/Inconel 600
4
250-265/304
4
8*
4200/Inconel 600
* Bruce A and B steam generators have separate preheaters
807 MW
750 MW
5-8
Jan 1978
May 1984
37/13
6240
480
a. Zircaloy-2
129/1.37
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.11
Pickering A
2
249/293
12 plus 4 spare
12
2600/Monel
542 MW
508 MW
1-4
Jun 1966
Feb 1971
28/12
4680
390
a. Zircaloy-2
130.8/1.55
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.06
Pickering B
540 MW
508 MW
5-8
Nov 1974
Oct 1982
Darlington
4
267/310
4
4
4663/Incoloy 800
935 MW
881 MW
1-4
Sep 1981
Nov 1989
37/13
6240
480
a. Zircaloy-2
129/1.37
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.19
Point Lepreau
2
266/310
4
4
3542/Incoloy 800
680 MW
635 MW
N/A
May 1975
Jul 1982
37/12
4560
380
a. Zircaloy-2
129/1.37
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.19
Gentilly
2
266/310
4
4
3542/Inconel 600
675 MW
640 MW
2
Apr 1974
Sep 1982
37/12
4560
380
a. Zircaloy-2
129/1.37
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.19
2
249/293
12 plus 4 spare
12
2573/Monel
28/12
4560
380
a. Zircaloy-2
129/1.37
cw. Zr-2.5%Nb
103.4/4.01

Cross-Section
Steam Generator
Uses natural uranium as fuel and deuterium oxide
(D2O) or "heavy water" as coolant and moderator
Started as the Canadian contribution to the War effort
Designed by AECL (Atomic Energy of Canada Limited)
All nuclear power reactors in Canada are CANDUs
Can be refuelled at full power
Multiple shutdown systems for added safety

The steam turns tthe turbines and the

turbines turn the generator to produce
electricity.
Uranium atoms are split in the core
under controlled conditions to produce
a chain reaction, providing large
amounts of energy in the form of heat.
Heavy water coolant circulates
in the Primary Heat Transport
System through the reactor core.
The hot heavy water coolant from the reactor is
transferred to the steam generators to produce steam.
Feeders - inlet and outlet feeders connect each fuel channel individually to connectors (headers) above the
core and then to the steam generators
Calandria - a horizontal, cylindrical, single-walled, 6 m long stepped shell
enclosed at each end by tubesheets and spanned by calandria tubes and
filled with the heavy water moderator
Moderator - consists of heavy water at near atmospheric pressure and at a
temperature of 70C, used for moderating (slowing down) the high energy
fission neutrons
Calandria Tubes - provide access through the calandria for the fuel channel
assemblies and also support the pressure tubes by means of four garter
spring spacers per channel
Fuel Channels - the fuel channels contain the pressure tubes that hold the
fuel bundles in the neutron flux of the reactor core

1. Calandria
2. Calandria end shield
3. Shut-off and control rods
4. Poison injection
5. Fuel channel assemblies
6. Feeder pipes
7. Vault

CANDU Nuclear Power

Plant Schematic
The condenser turns the steam
back into water which is then
returned to the steam generators
through the feedwater system.
The heavy water coolant in the primary heat transport system removes heat from the reactor core by
circulating in the pressure tubes and cooling the fuel bundles
The HTS operating pressure is ~10 MPa and the typical
variation of coolant temperature is from 266C at the channel
inlet to 312C at the channel outlet
The HT water has a pH above 10 and a very low oxidation
potential in order to protect the HT piping such as pressure
tubes, steam generator tubes, feeders, and fuel
Steam Generators - transfer the heat from the hot
heavy water (D2O) circulating in the primary heat transport
system to ordinary "light" water in the steam generator

The CANDU fuel consists of natural uranium, which contains

a fraction of 0.72 % (isotopic abundance) of isotope
235
U,
with the remaining fraction in the form of
238
U
The fuel is fabricated into small UO2 pellets which are then
placed inside 0.5 m long fuel rods (small Zircaloy tubes)
The tubes are then arranged into fuel bundles consisting of
an assembly of 37 elements
Spacer pads on the surface of the tubes prevent direct
contact of the fuel rods with the pressure tube walls and
allow space for coolant flow through the bundles
Heat Transport System
Fuel
Close-up
Fuel Bundle
Zircaloy Fuel Rod
(fuel sheath)
UO2 Fuel Pellet
End Plate
End Cap
Spacer Pad
(Sources: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited AECL and Canadian Nuclear Association CNA)
U N E N E
University Network of Excellence
in Nuclear Engineering
Point Lepreau Turbine-Generator
(image courtesy of AECL)
(image courtesy of AECL)
CANDU Reactor Assembly
(during construction)
(image courtesy of AECL)
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), an independent
agency of the Government of Canada operates and enforces
regulations under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSC Act)
As the federal regulator, the CNSC
executes licensing decisions made by the Commission or
its designates
continually monitors licensees to ensure they comply with safety
requirements that protect workers, the public, and the environment
uphold Canadas international commitments on the peaceful use of
nuclear energy
The CNSC functions as a tribunal, taking into account the views,
concerns and opinions of interested parties and intervenors when
establishing regulatory policy, making licensing decisions and
implementing programs
In addition to the NSC Act, the CNSC also administers
other nuclear related regulations and bylaws in the form
of policies, standards, guides and notices

Current energy infrastructure in Ontario will be unable to meet future

supply requirements
coal phase-out will place additional strains on supply
imports can only meet fluctuations in demand
Future demand can be met with a mix of sources, including Nuclear

(Source: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited)

(Sources: International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission CNSC)
(image courtesy of CANTEACH)
(image
courtesy
of CANTEACH)
(image courtesy of AECL)
(CANDU 6s)
ACR
Advanced CANDU
Reactor
Gas Annulus - the gap between the fuel channel pressure tubes and the calandria tubes insulates the hot
pressure tubes from the relatively cool moderator
University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering
UNENE is an alliance of universities, nuclear power utilities, research
and regulatory agencies for the support and development of nuclear
education and R&D capability in Canadian universities
The main purpose of UNENE is to assure a sustainable supply of
qualified nuclear engineers and scientists to meet the current and
future needs of the Canadian nuclear industry

UNENE has created a fully accredited course-based Master's of

Engineering (MEng) program in Nuclear Engineering which is offered
jointly by the member universities
UNENE has established Industrial Research Chairs (professorships)
in six Ontario universities through a partnership with NSERC and
generous support from the Canadian nuclear industry
Nuclear Research and Development
Nuclear Engineering Education Program