NPTDS with Sights and Sounds Nuclear Power Technology Development with Sights and Sounds

Advanced Technologies for Water Cooled Reactors


WCR

Water Cooled Reactors (WCRs) have been the cornerstone of the nuclear industry in the 20th century. As we move along in the 21st century and the nuclear community worldwide looks into the future with the development of advanced and innovative reactor designs and fuel cycles, it is clear that WCRs will continue to play an important role in this future. Although it is possible to learn a lot from the many reactor-years of experience and know-how accumulated by the safe operation of WCRs worldwide, this is still a young technology and there are numerous opportunities for innovation and to expand the use of WCRs beyond the current applications. Furthermore, it is also expected that WCRs will become a bridge towards promising future nuclear technologies that are not quite commercially feasible just yet, such as FRs.

WCR

This project serves as the IAEA center of excellence on technology advances for achieving competitive economics and reliability in future Water Cooled Reactors, while meeting stringent safety requirements. Member States and the IAEA rely on this project to obtain accurate, current and balanced information about the latest developments in water cooled reactor technology worldwide. The project also fosters and coordinates technology advances by facilitating collaborative research and development in key areas of common interest. It also provides state of the art technology training materials for the next generation of nuclear professionals.

WCR

Areas of interest for international collaboration are identified by Member States through participation in the IAEA Nuclear Energy Department's Technical Working Groups on Advanced Technologies for LWRs and HWRs (the TWG-LWR and the TWG-HWR). The TWG-LWR and TWG-HWR are groups of experts that provide advice and support for programme implementation, reflecting a global network of excellence and expertise in the area of advanced technologies for Water Cooled Reactors.



Technical Meetings and Conferences


2012


Date Meeting Location Responsible Officer
27-30 Mar Third Workshop of ICSP on Integral PWR Design Natural Circulation Flow Stability and Thermo-hydraulic Coupling of Containment and Primary System during Accidents Daejeon, Korea J.H. Choi
5-7 Jun Technical Meetings of TWG-LWR and TWG-HWR IAEA, Vienna J.H. Choi, M. Harper
23-27 Jul Training Course on Natural Circulation Phenomena and Passive Safety Systems in Advanced Water Cooled Reactors Oregon State University, USA J.H. Choi

2011


Date Meeting Location Responsible Officer
21-23 Mar 2nd Workshop for ICSP on "Integral PWR Design Natural Circulation Flow Stability and Thermo-hydraulic Coupling of Containment and Primary System during Accidents" IAEA, Vienna J.H. Choi
12-14 Apr 2nd Workshop on "Good Practices in Heavy Water Reactor Operation" Gyeongju,
Korea 		J.H. Choi
27 Jun
1 Jul 		Joint ICTP-IAEA Course on Science and Technology of Supercritical Water Cooled Reactors Trieste, Italy J.H. Choi
11-15 Jul Training Course on Natural Circulation Phenomena and Passive Safety Systems in Advanced Water Cooled Reactors Harbin,
P.R. China 		J.H. Choi
26-28 Jul 16th Meeting of TWG-LWR and 12th Meeting of TWG-HWR IAEA, Vienna J.H. Choi
30 Aug
2 Sep 		3rd RCM of CRP on Benchmarking Severe Accident Computer Codes for HWR Applications Daejeon,
Rep. of Korea 		J.H. Choi
16-18 Nov Workshop on the Prediction of Axial and Radial Creep in HWR Pressure Tubes IAEA, Vienna J.H. Choi
12-14 Dec TM on Fuel Design and Licensing of Mixed Cores for Water Cooled Reactors IAEA, Vienna J.H. Choi

2010


Date Meeting Location Responsible Officer
16-19 Mar Workshop of ICSP on Integral PWR Design Natural Circulation Flow Stability and Thermo-Hydraulic Coupling of Containment and Primary System during Accidents Corvallis, Oregon, USA J.H. Choi
04-07 May TM on Benchmarking Severe Accident Computer Codes for Heavy Water Reactor Applications Mumbai, India J.H. Choi
10-14 May TC Workshop: Project Management for New Nuclear Power Projects Ulsan,
Rep. of Korea 		K.-S. Kang,
S. Bilbao
17-21 May Training Course on Natural Circulation Phenomena and Passive Safety Systems in Advanced Water Cooled Reactors Trieste, Italy J.H. Choi
27 Jun -
1 Jul 		Joint Meeting of the Technical Working Group on Advanced Technologies for LWR and HWR IAEA, Vienna S. Bilbao,
J.H. Choi
14-16 Dec TM on Application of CFD Codes for the Design of Advanced Water Cooled Reactors IAEA, Vienna S. Bilbao

2009


Date Meeting Responsible Officer
22-26 Jun Course on Natural Circulation Phenomena and Modeling in Water Cooled Nuclear Power Plants J.H. Choi
12-23 Oct Workshop on Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Simulators for Education S. Bilbao
27-30 Oct International Conference on Opportunities and Challenges for Water Cooled Reactors in the 21st Century S. Bilbao
23-26 Nov TM on Advanced Fuel Pellet Materials and fuel Rod Designs for Water Cooled Reactors S. Bilbao,
V. Inozemtsev

Collaborative Research Projects

International Collaborative Standard Problems (ICSP)

  • ICSP on "Simulation Results for Small Break LOCA (SBLOCA) Accidents on HWRs"

  • ICSP on Integral PWR Design Natural Circulation Flow Stability and Thermo-hydraulic Coupling of Containment and Primary System during Accidents

International Collaborative Assessments

  • NE Series on Best Practices for HWR operational excellence

  • Construction Technologies for New Nuclear Plants

  • Reactor Technology Assessment for Near Term Deployment

  • NE Series on Role of HWR for efficient use of fissionable resources

  • Use of CFD Codes for Modelling, Simulation and Design of Advanced Water Cooled Reactors

  • Use of Thorium in existing and future HWRs & LWRs

  • Advanced Reactor Physics for HWRs

Databases

Educational Resources

Publications


2010

2009

  • Passive Safety Systems in Water Cooled Nuclear Power Plants: Natural Circulation: Natural Circulation
    IAEA-TECDOC-1624 (November 2009)

  • Intercomparison of Techniques for Inspection and Diagnostics of Heavy Water Reactor Pressure Tubes: Determination of Hydrogen Concentration and Blister Characterization: Determination of Hydrogen Concentration and Blister Characterization
    IAEA-TECDOC-1609 (March 2009)

2008