MALAYAN COLLEGES LAGUNA

ME165-2: Nuclear and Geothermal Energy

Week-4.4 Reactor Types and Reactor Controls

2016-2017/ 1T

Prepared by:
Engr. Estelito V. Mamuyac
04 July 2016

Reactor Types
Although the only requirement for a neutron chain reaction is a
sufficient amount of fissile element, many combinations of materials
and arrangements can be used to construct an operable nuclear
reactor.
Several different types of concepts have been devised and tested
over the years since 1942, when the first reactor started operation.
Experience with individual reactor concepts has led to the selection
of a few that are most suitable by use of criteria such as economy,
reliability, and ability to meet performance demands.
In this Section, we will identify important reactor features,
compare several concepts, and examine the process of fuel
consumption and control in a power reactor.

Reactor Types
General classification scheme for reactors related to the
distinguishing features of reactor types.
a) Purpose or use
Electricity
o Nuclear power plants including small modular reactors
Propulsion
o Nuclear marine propulsion
o Various proposed forms of rocket propulsion

Reactor Types
a) Purpose or use (contd.)
Other uses of heat
o Desalination
o Heat for domestic and industrial heating
o Hydrogen production for use in a hydrogen economy
Research reactor:
o Typically reactors used for research and training, materials
testing, or the production of radioisotopes for medicine and
industry.

Reactor Types
a) Purpose or use (contd.)
Production reactors for transmutation of elements
o Breeder reactors are capable of producing more fissile material
than they consume during the fission chain reaction (by
converting fertile U-238 to Pu-239, or Th-232 to U-233). Thus, a
uranium breeder reactor, once running, can be re-fueled with
natural or even depleted uranium, and a thorium breeder
reactor can be re-fueled with thorium; however, an initial stock
of fissile material is required.
o Creating various radioactive isotopes, such as americium for use
in smoke detectors, and cobalt-60, molybdenum-99 and others,
used for imaging and medical treatment.

Reactor Types
a) Purpose or use (contd.)
Production reactors for transmutation of elements . . . .
o Production of materials for nuclear weapons such as weaponsgrade plutonium
Providing a source of neutron radiation (for example with the pulsed
Godiva device) and positron radiation (e.g. neutron activation
analysis and potassium-argon dating)

Reactor Types
b) Type of Nuclear Reaction
Nuclear fission. All commercial power reactors are based on
nuclear fission. They generally use uranium and its product
plutonium as nuclear fuel, though a thorium fuel cycle is also
possible. Fission reactors can be divided roughly into two classes,
depending on the energy of the neutrons that sustain the fission
chain reaction:
o Thermal reactors use slowed or thermal neutrons to keep up the
fission of their fuel. Almost all current reactors are of this type.
o Fast neutron reactors use fast neutrons to cause fission in their
fuel. They do not have a neutron moderator, and use lessmoderating coolants.

Reactor Types
b) Type of Nuclear Reaction . . . .
Nuclear fusion. Fusion power is an experimental technology,
generally with hydrogen as fuel. While not suitable for power
production, Farnsworth-Hirsch fusors are used to produce neutron
radiation.

Reactor Types
c) Moderator and Coolant
In some reactors, one substance serves two functions to assist in
neutron slowing and to remove the fission heat.
Others involve one material for moderator and another for
coolant. The most frequently used materials are listed in the
following:
Moderators

Coolants

Light water

Light water

Heavy water

Carbon dioxide

Graphite

Helium

Beryllium

Liquid sodium

Reactor Types
c) Moderator and Coolant . . . .

The condition of the coolant serves as a further identification

The pressurized water reactor provides high-temperature
water to a heat exchanger that generates steam.
The boiling water reactor on the other hand, supplies steam
directly.

Reactor Types
d) Fuel
Uranium with U-235 content uranium varying from natural
uranium (approx=0.7%) to slightly enriched (approx=3% to 5%) to
highly enriched (approx=90%) is used in various reactors, with the
enrichment depending on what other absorbing materials are
present.
The fissile isotope 94Pu239 is produced and consumed in reactors
containing significant amounts of U-238.

Reactor Types
d) Fuel . . . .
Plutonium serves as fuel for fast breeder reactors and can be
recycled as fuel for thermal reactors. A few reactors have been
built with fertile Th-232, producing fissile U-233.
The fuel may have various physical forms a metal, or an alloy
with a metal such as aluminum, or a compound such as the oxide
UO2 or carbide UC.

Reactor Types
e) Arrangement
In most modern reactors, the fuel is isolated from the coolant in
what is called a heterogeneous arrangement.
The alternative is a homogeneous mixture of fuel and moderatorcoolant.
f) Structural Materials
The function of support, retention of fission products, and heat
conduction are provided by various metals.
The main examples are aluminum, stainless steel, and zircalloy
(an alloy of zirconium).

Reactor Types
g) Phase of fuel
Solid fueled
Liquid fueled
o Aqueous homogeneous reactor
o Molten salt reactor
Gas fueled (theoretical)

Reactor Types
h) Generation
Generation I reactor (early prototypes, research reactors, noncommercial power producing reactors)
Generation II reactor (most current nuclear power plants 19651996)
Generation III reactor (evolutionary improvements of existing
designs 1996-now)

Reactor Types
h) Generation . . . .
Generation IV reactor (technologies still under development
unknown start date, possibly 2030)
The "Gen IV"-term was dubbed by the United States Department of Energy
(DOE) for developing new plant types in 2000. In 2003, the French
Commissariat l'nergie Atomique (CEA) was the first to refer to Gen II
types in Nucleonics Week; . First mentioning of Gen III was also in 2000 in
conjunction with the launch of the Generation IV International Forum
(GIF) plans.

Reactor Types
Widely used power reactor types:
Pressurized water reactor (PWR)
Boiling water reactor (BWR)
High temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR)
Canadian deuterium uranium (CANDU)
Liquid metal fast breeder reactor (LMFBR)

Textbooks & References

References

Textbooks

Nuclear Energy An Introduction to the Concepts, Systems, and Applications of

Nuclear Processes, Raymond L. Murray, 6th Ed., 2009

Web

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_cross_section
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_reactor