Module 02

Pressurized
Water
Reactors
(PWR)

Prof.Dr.
Prof.Dr. H. Böck
Vienna University of Technology /Austria
Atominstitute
Stadionallee 2,
1020 Vienna, Austria
boeck@ati.ac.at
 Contents

• PWR Basics
• Technical Data
• Safety Features
• Reactivity Control
• Fuel Assemblies
• Reactor Pressure Vessel
• Steam Generator
• Reactor Cooling Circuits
• Pressurizer
 PWR Basics
• H2O as coolant and moderator
• Pressure in primary circuit: 160 bar (16 MPa)
• No boiling in primary circuit
• Temperature about 300 ºC
• Heat transferred by 2 - 6 steam generators to
secondary circuit (pressure about 50 bars)
• Produced steam is dried and transferred to
turbine generator
• Average power density in core: 93 kW/litre
• Burn-up: ca. 53 000 MWd/t U
• Thermal net efficiency: 35.5%
 PWR Generations

• Originally developed for Nuclear Submarines,

Icebreakers, Aircraft Carriers (USS Nautilus
1955)
• Generation 1: Prototype NPP 1960s, around 250
MWe to 300 MWe (Obrigheim), shut down
permanently in 10/05

• Generation 2: Medium power NPP 1970s around

600 MWe to 800 MWe (Stade), shut down
permanently in 11/03
 PWR Generations

• Generation 3: N4 (F) or Konvoi (D) NPP

1980s around 1000 MWe to 1300 MWe
(Biblis B)
• Generation 3+: EPR 2008 around 1600
MWe (Okiluoto-FIN, Flamanville-F)
• Generation 4: Presently under
development by 10 industrial nations, to
be available around 2030
Example: The PWR Brokdorf

• Built
– 1986
– Generation 3
– by KWU
• 1370 MWe net
• 3760 MWth
Technical Data of the PWR Brokdorf

• Fuel rods:
– Outer diameter: 9.50 mm
– Wall thickness: 0.64 mm
– Fuel: 3% enriched UO2, sintered to ceramic
pellets of 92% theoretical density
– Cladding material: Zircaloy 4 (99% Zr, Sn,
Fe, Ni)
UO2 Pellets
Individual Fuel Rod
PWR Pellet-Rod-Fuel-Assemblies
Technical Data of the PWR Brokdorf

• Fuel assemblies:
– Number of fuel assemblies: ca. 200
– Total length: 4.83 m
– Active length: 3.96 m
– Lattice: 16 x 16 rods = 256 positions per
assembly
– Weight: 750 kg
– Number of rods per assembly: 236
– Positions for absorber fingers: 20
PWR Assemblies
Technical Data of the PWR Brokdorf

• Control rods:
– Number of control rods: 61
– 20 fingers penetrating into the fuel assembly
– Absorber material: Ag80In15Cd5
– Absorber length: 3.72 m
– Driven by electrical motor in - out
– In case of fast shut down: Absorber is relased
from electromagnetic clutch and drops by
gravity into the core
 Reactivity Control of PWRs
• Short term by control rods: 50 to 80 control
rod assemblies for normal operation
– start-up
– power changes
– normal shut down
and for emergency shut down
• Longt term by boric acid:
– B: (n,α) reaction, cross section: 3,8.10-21 cm2
– For long-term reactivity control: When loaded with
fresh fuel, coolant contains ca. 1200 ppm boric acid
which is gradually removed parallel to uranium
consumption (fuel burn-up)
Cross Section

• For uniform power

distribution uranium
enrichment higher at
core edge
• Inside core chess
board distribution
• Control rods position
symmetrically to centre
 Flow Diagram of a PWR - Details

Flowdiagram PWR

1 Reactor vessel 8 Fresh steam 15 Cooling water

2 Fuel elements 9 Feedwater 16 Feedwater pump
3 Control rods 10 High pressure turbine 17 Feedwater pre-heater
4 Control rod drives 11 Low pressure turbine 18 Concrete shield
5 Pressurizer 12 Generator 19 Cooling water pump
6 Steam generator 13 Exciter
7 Main circulating pump 14 Condenser
 Safety of PWRs

• In PWRs water has a negative void coefficient as

steam has poorer moderator qualities than
water, the fission reaction slows down
• Two independent shut down systems
• 3 x 100% redundancy in safety systems
• Diverse functions for safety related actions
• Physical separation of safety relevant systems
• Five barriers between the fission products and
the environment
Multiple

Barrier

System
Inspection
of
a new
Fuel
Assembly
Initial Fuel Loading
• Initial loading: Fuel
assemblies are loaded
from centre to edge
• Subcritical neutron
multiplication is
measured
• Follow up loading:
About 1/3 of fuel
assemblies are changed
each year
• Mean life time of fuel in
core: 3 years
Reactor Pressure Vessel (Brockdorf)

• Basic Data:
– Height: 12.00 m
– Inner diameter: 5.75 m
– Design pressure: 176 bar
– Wall thickness: 25 cm
– Total weight: 876 t
PWR – Reactor Pressure Vessel Development

1969 1970 1972 1977

PWR – Reactor Pressure Vessel Development
Reactor

Pressure

Vessel

Cross

Section
Forging a Seamless
Pressure Vessel
Ring

• Lower part of PV is
welded together from
several seamless shell
rings
• Flanges, rings and
bottom dome are made
of low-alloy, fine
grained structural steel
• Very good welding
properties, very little
embrittlement
Views on the Pressure Vessel
 Pressure
Vessel
before
Installation
• Lower part of a
pressure vessel is
moved into the
reactor building
• Nozzles for coolant
pipes are visible
 Pressure
Vessel
Installation
• Pressure
vessel (French
N4 type)
during
placement
• Nozzels are
visible
 Steam Generator
• Thermal contact between primary
and secondary cooling system
• About 4000 m2 of heat transfer
area
 Steam Generator

• Primary coolant enters

bottom left and exits
bottom right
• Primary water inside tubes
• Secondary water enters top
right
• Dry steam leaves to turbine
generator at top
 Pressurizer

• Responsible for keeping

the operating pressure
within +/- 2 bars
• If pressure is too low
electrical heaters produce
more steam
• If pressure is too high
cold water sprays
condenses steam
• On top pressure relief
safety valve, here started
the TMI-2 accident
 Internet Links

• World Nuclear Organisation:

– www.world-
www.world-nuclear.org

• Types of Nuclear Reactors:

– hyperphysics.phy-
hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/nucene/reactor.html#c3
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
– www.nrc.gov
• Nuclear Energy Institute:
– www.nei.org

• Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (Japan):

– www.mhi.co.jp/atom/hq/atome_e/index.html
• Atominstitute of the Austrian Universities:
- www.ati.ac.at
• Movie: Framatome-ANP
– www.framatome-
www.framatome-anp.com>EPR
anp.com>EPR a large advanvced evolutionary reactor>the EPR a evolutionary
reactor>3D animation > in the heart of a PWR
– http://www.francenuc.org/toc_e.htm