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128 Managing Global Warming

Fig. 4.8 Simplified layout of typical Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) NPP [1]: General basic
features—(1) thermal neutron spectrum; (2) uranium dioxide (UO 2 ) fuel; (3) fuel enrichment
about 3%; (4) direct cycle with steam separator (steam generator and pressurizer are
eliminated), i.e., single-flow circuit (single loop); (5) RPV with vertical fuel rods (elements)
assembled in bundle strings cooled with upward flow of light water (water and water-steam
mixture); 6) reactor coolant, moderator, and power-cycle working fluid are the same fluid;
(7) reactor coolant outlet parameters: Pressure about 7MPa and saturation temperature at this
pressure is about 286°C; and (8) power cycle—subcritical-pressure regenerative Rankine
steam-turbine cycle with single steam reheat.
Courtesy of US NRC.

4.2.2 Boiling water reactors

From the information available in the open literature and figures provided by major
nuclear vendors (Hitachi and Toshiba) and US NRC, the following reactors and NPPs
are typical representatives of Generations III BWR and III+ ABWR NPPs:
(1) Typical US BWR NPP layout (see Fig. 4.8) and its parameters (see Table 4.7);
(2) Layout of ABWR Hitachi, Ltd. (see Fig. 4.9) and comparison of ABWR and BWR basic
parameters (see Table 4.8); and
(3) ABWR NPP (see Figs. 4.10 and 4.11) (based on data from Toshiba company).