IAEA Light Water Cooled Reactor Project

Nuclear Power Technology Development Section

LWR Technology

In the field of light water reactors, the last status report published by the IAEA was “Status of Advanced Light Water Cooled Reactor Designs: 1996” (IAEA-TECDOC-968). Since its publication, quite a lot has happened: some designs have been taken into commercial operation, others have achieved significant steps toward becoming commercial products, including certification from regulatory authorities, some are in a design optimization phase to reduce capital costs, development for other designs began after 1996, and a few designs are no longer pursued by their promoters.

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TECDOC-1290

Improving Economics and safety of water-Cooled Reactors: Proven Means and New Approaches.

With increasingly liberalized electricity markets around the world, and particularly the success of low-cost combined cycle gas turbines, incentives have increased for identifying means to achieve better NPP economics.  The task on “Optimizing Technology, Safety and Economics of Water-Cooled Reactors” was carried out during 1999-2002.  The task includes collaboration with eleven industrial organizations and four government agencies as well as the OECD-NEA and the European Commission.  Its objective was to emphasize the need, and to identify approaches, for new nuclear plants with water-cooled reactors to achieve competitiveness while maintaining high levels of safety. To achieve the largest possible cost reductions, proven means for reducing costs must be fully utilized, and new approaches (such as improved technologies, risk informed methods for evaluating the safety benefit of design features, and international consensus regarding safety requirements so that standardized designs can be built in several countries without major re-design efforts) 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.

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TECDOC-1281

Natural circulation data and methods for advanced water cooled nuclear power plant designs

Proceedings of an TCM on Nuclear Circulation Data and Methods for Innovative Nuclear and Power Plants Design. The objective of this TCM were to assess the current base of experimental data and the applicability of current methodologies for computing natural convection phenomena in innovative reactor design, and to develop perspectives on needed improvements in models and supporting experimental data. This TECDOC provides the papers presented and summarized the discussions. The papers and discussions addressed both evolutionary and innovative designs for light and heavy water reactors.

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TECDOC-1264

Reliability Assurance Programme Guidebook for Advanced Light Water Reactors

This guidebook demonstrates how the designers and operators of future commercial nuclear plants can exploit the risk, reliability and availability engineering methods and techniques developed over the past two decades to augment existing design and operational nuclear plant decision-making capabilities.

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TECDOC-1245

Performance of Operating and Advanced LWR Designs

Proceedings of a TCM hosted by E.ON Energie AG (Munich) in October 2000. The TCM provided a forum for information exchange on design features and technologies incorporated into LWR plants commissioned within about the last 15-20 years, and into evolutionary LWR designs still under development, for achieving performance improvements with due regard to stringent safety requirements and objectives.  It also addressed on-going technology development expected to achieve further improvements and/or significant cost reductions.

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TECDOC-1203

Thermohydraulic Relationships for Advanced Water Cooled Reactors

This report has been prepared within the IAEA’s Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on “Thermohydraulic Relationships for Advanced Water Cooled Reactors” which was started in 1995 with the overall goal to promote information exchange and co-operation in establishing a consistent set of thermohydraulic relationships which are appropriate for use in analyzing the performance and safety of advanced water cooled reactors.  The CRP participants collaborated to examine the requirements for thermohydraulic relationships and to conduct research and to review experimental data for critical heat flux (CHF), post CHF heat transfer and pressure drop. These relationships are presented in the TECDOC.

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TECDOC-1175

Technologies for improving current and future light water reactor operation and maintenance: Development on the basis of experience

Proceedings of a Technical Committee Meeting held in Japan, 1999 that was convened to exchange information on technologies for improving operation and maintenance for current and future LWRs. Topics addressed focus on technologies for improving the economic competitiveness of current and future LWRs while meeting safety objectives.

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TECDOC-1149

Experimental tests and qualification of analytical methods to address thermohydraulic phenomena in advanced water cooled reactors

Proceedings of a Technical Committee Meeting  held in Switzerland, 1998 convened to review the current status and the future needs in this area.

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TECDOC-1122

Fuel cycle options for light water reactors and heavy water reactors

Proceeding of a Technical Committee Meeting (TCM) held in Canada, 1998. This TCM provided the opportunity to have in-depth discussion on important technical topics which had been identified in the International Symposium on Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Reactor Strategies: Adjusting to New Realities, that was convened at IAEA headquarters, Vienna, 1997. The main results and conclusions of the TCM were presented as input for discussion at the first meeting of the IAEA's newly formed International Working Group on Fuel Cycle Options.

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TECDOC-1117

Evolutionary water cooled reactors: Strategic issues, technologies and economic viability

Proceeding of a symposium held in Republic of Korea, 1998. The symposium reviewed the technological advancements of evolutionary water cooled reactors and their readiness to contribute the world's near and medium term energy needs.

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TECDOC-1024

Selection, competency development and assessment of nuclear power plant managers

In 1996 the IAEA published Technical Reports Series No. 380, Nuclear Power Plant Personnel Training and its Evaluation, A Guidebook. That publication provides guidance with respect to development, implementation and evaluation of training programmes for all NPP personnel, including managers. The IAEA International Working Group on Training and Qualification of Nuclear Power Plant Personnel recommended that an additional publication be prepared that provide further details concerning the training and development of NPP managers. This report has been prepared in response to that recommendation.

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TECDOC-1020

Design measures for prevention and mitigation of severe accidents at advanced water cooled reactors

Proceedings of a Technical Committee meeting held in Vienna,  1996. This TECDOC presents the design features for prevention and mitigation of several accidents of several advanced water cooled reactor designs in a uniform structure which facilitates comparison of the approaches taken for the different designs. 

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TECDOC-968

Status of advanced light water reactor designs: 1996

This status report presents the rational and basic motivations that lead to a continuing development of nuclear technology, an overview of the world wide status of current LWRs, the present market situation, and desired characteristics for future plants.  The report also provides a description of utility requirements that governed the development of new design, the situation with regard to enhanced safety objectives, description of development activities and a presentation of the various reactor designs using a uniform format for their description.

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TECDOC-872

Progress in design, research and development and testing of safety systems for advanced water cooled reactors

Proceedings of a Technical Committee Meeting convened in Italy, 1995 to review progress in design, research and development and testing of safety systems for advanced water cooled reactors.

English