Nuclear Power Plant

Different Types

Prabir C Basu
Consultant
Structural Engineering and Nuclear Facility Safety
 Content

• Introduction
• BWR
• PWR
• PHWR

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 Introduction
• A nuclear power plant (NPP) is similar to a
coal
fired thermal power plant except the way heat
is produced to raise the steam.
• An NPP is characterized on the basis of
– Type of reactor to generate heat,
– Fuel used,
– Coolant used for transferring heat from reactor,
and
– Mode of transferring heat energy to turbine
generator for converting heat to electricity.

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 Boiling Water Reactor

Schematic diagram of boiling water reactor

TAPP-1&2 have boiling water reactor
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 Boiling Water Reactor
• The core inside the vertical reactor vessel creates
heat.
• The reactor fuel is enriched uranium. Moderator and
coolant are very pure light (ordinary) water.
• A steam-water mixture is produced when the coolant
moves upward through the core absorbing heat.
• The steam-water mixture leaves the top of the core
and enters the two stages of moisture separation to
remove droplets before the steam enters steamline.
• The steamline directs the steam to the main turbine,
causing it to turn the turbine generator, which
produces electricity.
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 Boiling Water Reactor

• The unused steam is exhausted to the condenser,

where it is condensed into water. The resulting water
is pumped out of the condenser with a series of
pumps, reheated, and pumped back to the reactor
vessel.
• The reactor's core contains fuel assemblies that are
cooled by light water circulated using electrically
powered pumps. These pumps and other operating
systems in the plant receive their power from the
electrical grid.

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 Boiling Water Reactor

• If offsite power is lost, emergency cooling water is

supplied by other pumps, which can be powered by
onsite diesel generators.
• Other safety systems, such as the containment
cooling system, also need electric power.
• BWRs contain between 370-800 fuel assemblies.

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 Pressurized Water Reactor

Schematic diagram of pressurised water reactor

(PWR)
Two VVER-1000 MWe reactors are under construction
at Kudankulam. 8
Pressursied Water Reactor

PWR based NPP 9

 Pressurised Water Reactor
• The core inside vertical reactor vessel creates heat.
• The reactor fuel is enriched uranium. Moderator and
coolant is very pure light water.
• Pressurized water in the primary coolant loop carries
the heat to the steam generator.
• Inside the steam generator, heat from the primary
coolant loop vaporizes the water in a secondary loop,
producing steam.
• The steamline directs the steam to the main turbine,
causing it to turn the turbine generator, which
produces electricity.
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 Pressurised Water Reactor
• The unused steam is exhausted to the condenser,
where it is condensed into water.
• The resulting water is pumped out of the condenser
with a series of pumps, reheated, and pumped back
to the steam generator.
• The reactors core contains fuel assemblies that are
cooled by water circulated using electrically powered
pumps.
• These pumps and other operating systems in the
plant receive their power from the electrical grid.

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 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor

Schematic diagram of pressuried heavy water

reactor
RAPS-1&2, MAPS-1&2, NAPS-1&2, KAPS-1&2, KGS-
3&4, RAPS-3&4, TAPP-3&4, KAIGA-3&4 and RAPP-3&4 12
 Pressurised Water Reactor
• A pressurized heavy-water reactor (PHWR) is a
horizontal nuclear reactor.
• Commonly used fuel is unenriched natural uranium
assembled inside horizontal tubes.
• Coolant and moderator are heavy water (deuterium
oxide D2O) as its coolant and neutron moderator.
• The heavy water coolant is kept under pressure,
allowing it to be heated to higher temperatures
without boiling, much as in a pressurized water
reactor.

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 Pressurised Water Reactor
• Other safety process and safety systems of PHWR
based NPP are similar to that of PWR.
• While heavy water is significantly more expensive
than ordinary light water,
– it creates greatly enhanced neutron economy, allowing the
reactor to operate without fuel-enrichment facilities
(offsetting the additional expense of the heavy water), and
– enhancing the ability of the reactor to make use of
alternate fuel cycles.

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Thank
You
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