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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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New coolants, new fuels: A new generation of university reactors
Here’s an easy way to make aging U.S. power reactors look relatively youthful: Compare them (average age: 43) with the nation’s university research reactors. The 25 operating today have been licensed for an average of about 58 years.
Werner Oldekop, Hans-Dieter Berger, Wilfried Zeggel
Nuclear Technology | Volume 59 | Number 2 | November 1982 | Pages 212-227
Technical Paper | Fission Reactor | doi.org/10.13182/NT82-A33024
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The main feature of an advanced pressurized water reactor (APWR) with improved fuel utilization is a plutonium-enriched tight lattice core integrated in an unchanged primary system of a common pressurized water reactor (PWR) power station. Neutron physical investigations demonstrate that conversion ratios in excess of 0.9 and final burnups of ∼45 000 MWd/tHM are obtained with a reload enrichment of 7.5% fissile plutonium. The moderator-void coefficient is calculated to be negative. The high-pressure drop of an APWR core is compensated for by a slightly reduced coolant flow rate. Despite the fact that calculated safety parameters such as void coefficient, critical heat flux margin, and emergency core cooling behavior have to be proven by experiments, the homogeneous concept of a high-converting PWR appears to be feasible.