![]() Liquid metal reactors can be fuelled with uranium in metallic form (current reactors mostly use uranium in ceramic form), as well as recycled nuclear waste (i.e. Liquid metal fast reactors (LMFRs) use different liquid metals (e.g. The Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant, Russia, home to two sodium-cooled fast-neutron reactors (Image: Rosatom). Many non-water reactor types have successfully been operated across the world for many years, mostly at experimental level. The development of these reactors could offer more efficient nuclear power, with new and exciting applications. Whilst most current reactors use water to cool the core, there is ongoing research and development looking at reactors that use liquid metals, molten salts or gases as coolant. If you want to find out more about small modular reactors, visit our Information Library. Additionally, a further benefit of SMRs is the prospect of so-called modularity, with most, if not all, components of the reactors being manufactured and assembled in a factory before being shipped to a site to be installed. Given their size, small reactors are well-suited for remote areas and in grids that are too small to host a gigawatt-scale nuclear reactor. SMRs offer a range of different benefits which complement large reactors. The Akademik Lomonosov, the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, is an SMR (Image: Rosatom). There are many different designs and sizes proposed, ranging from just a few megawatts to several hundred. More novel designs will take longer to reach commercialization. Light water SMRs are likely to be towards the end of the 2020s, with broad deployment taking place in the early 2030s. SMRs are not a distinct type of reactor, but rather a family of different reactor designs which are smaller than most reactors currently in operation. Heavy-water reactors are mostly associated with Canada, but they are also used in India, Argentina, Romania, Pakistan and China. By using heavy water, it is possible to use naturally-occurring uranium as fuel, rather than the enriched fuel used in PWRs and BWRs. The design uses heavy water, a chemically different form of water, to cool and control the nuclear reactions. Pressurised heavy water reactors (PWHRs) are the third most common reactor type, making up 11% of the global fleet. BWRs are primarily found in the US, Japan, Sweden and Taiwan. The steam generated in the reactor is fed directly to the turbine. ![]() Unlike PWRs, this design has a single circuit in which water is held at a pressure that allows it to boil. Water in the secondary circuit is under less pressure and therefore boils, turning the turbine to generate electricity.īoiling water reactors (BWRs) are the second most common reactor type globally, making up approximately 15% of the global fleet. Water in the primary circuit is prevented from boiling by pressurising the reactors. The design is distinguished by having a primary cooling circuit which flows through the core of the reactor, and a secondary circuit in which steam is generated to drive the turbine. Pressurised water reactors (PWRs) make up almost 70% of the global reactor fleet. There are three major reactor design families under the umbrella of water-cooled reactors currently in use: There are two major types of water-cooled reactor: light water reactors (which use normal water) and heavy water reactors (which use a chemically distinct type of water). Three boiling water reactors (BWRs) at Oskarshamn Nuclear Power Plant, Sweden (Image: Uniper).Ībout 425 reactors globally, ranging in size from 30-1660MW, are water-cooled. Most use water to cool their cores, whilst others use gas or metals. Most are large enough to power major cities, and small reactors are being developed to complement them. Nuclear reactors come in many different shapes and sizes. Are there different types of nuclear reactor?
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