The second most common power reactor design, similar to the pressurized water reactor but with a single circuit at lower pressure: water boils in the top of the core itself, and the steam passes through separators straight to the turbine. The simplicity costs shielding, since water that has passed the core carries traces of radioactivity to the turbine hall; about sixty operate worldwide, mainly in the United States, Japan and Sweden.
Facts
Technology TypeNuclear Fission Reactor 1 Invented YearBORAX-III, the experimental boiling water reactor at the US National Reactor Testing Station, first supplied grid power on July 17, 1955, becoming the first community solely powered by nuclear energy; General Electric's BWR development program continued through the mid-1950s toward commercial designs. Classification
MaturityTRL 9: Actual System Proven in Operational Environment 1 FAQs
Why do the turbines of a boiling water reactor need radiation shielding when a pressurized water reactor's do not?
The steam goes straight from the core to the turbines in a boiling water reactor and the water always carries traces of radionuclides.
A boiling water reactor makes steam in the primary circuit above the core, and that steam passes through steam separators and then directly to the turbines. The turbines are therefore part of the reactor circuit. The water around a reactor core always carries traces of radionuclides, so the turbine must be shielded and radiological protection provided during maintenance. A pressurized water reactor generates its steam in a separate secondary circuit instead.
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Source World Nuclear Association Information Library
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Source World Nuclear Association Information Library
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Sources
1. World Nuclear Association Information Library
World Nuclear AssociationInformation Library, Nuclear Power Reactors, Boiling water reactor (BWR)
This type of reactor has many similarities to the PWR, except that there is only a single circuit in which the water is at lower pressure.
Technology maturity, entity description
The second most common power reactor design, similar to the pressurized water reactor but with a single circuit at lower pressure: water boils in the top of the core itself, and the steam passes through separators straight to the turbine.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationEvolution of BORAXQuote, Evolution of BORAX
It was linked to the local power grid for about an hour on July 17, 1955.
Boiling water reactor (Wikipedia)
In Group: Light Water and Heavy Water Reactors, LeadQuote, In Group: Light Water and Heavy Water Reactors, Lead
A boiling water reactor (BWR) is a type of nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power.
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