Nuclear Power Technology Development Section
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES FOR LIGHT WATER REACTORS (LWRs) AND HEAVY WATER REACTORS (HWRs)
Investments are being made in many Member States for developing advanced technologies for water-cooled reactors, which comprise the large majority of the world's reactors. This project fosters the global realization and sharing of the benefits of resulting technology advances by facilitating international information exchange and co-operation. The activities are formulated on the advice, and are carried out with the support, of the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy's Technical Working Groups for Advanced Technologies for Light Water Reactors and Heavy Water Reactors (the TWG-LWR and the TWG-HWR).
| Members of the TWG-LWR, established in 1987 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Germany | Spain |
| Belgium | India | Sweden |
| China | Italy | Switzerland |
| Czech Republic | Japan | United Kingdom |
| Republic of Korea | United States of America | |
| Finland | The Russian Federation | OECD-NEA |
| France | European Commission | |
| Members of the TWG-HWR, established in 1997 | |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Republic of Korea |
| Canada | Pakistan |
| China | Romania |
| India | The Russian Federation |
Current activities focus on approaches for improving economic competitiveness while maintaining high levels of safety. To gain the maximum improvements in economics, proven means for reducing costs must be fully utilized, and new approaches should be developed and implemented. Proven means and new approaches are examined using the full breadth and capabilities of the Agency, including expertise in the Nuclear Power Engineering Section and the Planning and Economic Studies Section of the Department of Nuclear Energy, and in the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety of the Department of Nuclear Safety & Security.
The scopes of the TWG-LWR and the TWG-HWR are quite broad, covering technology improvements for current plants and development of new designs. For the TWG-LWR, this includes specifically the reactor core, plant systems and components, structures and containment, as well as technologies for improved operation and maintenance. The TWG-HWR activities emphasize anticipated future developments in HWRs, covering safety, economics and fuel resource sustainability. Activities on technology areas of common interest to these two TWGs are conducted jointly.
Some specific technology areas are addressed in more depth within the IAEA (e.g. the TWG-NPPCI, the TWG-FPT, and the TWG-LMNPP), and by other international organizations (e.g. the OECD-NEA). The TWG-LWR and the TWG-HWR keep abreast of such work and co-ordinate their activities with other groups.
See the detailed results of recent activities for the project on advanced technologies for water-cooled reactors.
Some recent activities include co-ordinated research projects (CRPs) on heat transfer behaviour and thermo-hydraulic code testing for super-critical water-cooled reactors (SCWRs) and on natural circulation phenomena, modelling, and reliability of passive systems that utilize natural circulation. The former CRP will establish a base of accurate data for heat transfer, pressure drop, blowdown, natural circulation and stability for conditions relevant to super-critical fluids, test analysis methods for SCWR thermo-hydraulic behaviour, and establish the data base at the OECD-NEA. The latter CRP is contributing towards better understanding and modelling, and reliability methodology development for thermalhydraulic phenomena related to natural circulation in passive systems of advanced water cooled reactors.
A report on Status of Advanced LWR Designs: 2004 has recently been published (TECDOC-1391). Other recent activities have included information exchange on technologies for improving performance of current and future water cooled reactors, and the identification of new approaches for reducing costs of future plants.
Light water reactors (LWRs) are dominating among the operating nuclear power plants throughout the world, both in number and total power. The current LWR technologies have proven to be economic, safe and reliable, and they have a mature infrastructure and regulatory base in several countries.
Some examples of development activities for new, advanced LWR designs can be seen at: Light Water Reactors
With respect to HWRs, an international collaborative standard problem (ICSP) on HWR code predictions with RD-14M SBLOCA experiment has recently been started and a cooperative research project on intercomparison of techniques for pressure tube inspection and diagnostics (TECDOC-1499) has recently been completed. A Technical Report Series document TRS-407 on "Heavy Water Reactors, Status and Projected Developments" that presents the status of HWR advanced technology in the areas of fuel cycle flexibility and sustainable development, safety and economics, and the advanced technology developments needed in the future, has been published.
Development activities for HWRs are described at: Heavy Water Reactors