Trends in Nuclear Generation Technology

Table of Contents

• DATAMONITOR VIEW
  • CATALYST
  • SUMMARY
• ANALYSIS
  • Nuclear fission is based on the interaction of neutrons with uranium-235
    • Uranium-235 is the fissile material used in almost all reactor designs
    • Water is the most common moderator used for nuclear fission
  • There are five common nuclear reactor designs in use globally
    • BWRs are the simplest reactor design
    • PWRs are the most common design in use globally
    • Pressurized heavy water reactors such as the CANDU design use natural uranium
    • AGCRs operate without enriched uranium
    • The RMBK is a Soviet design still in operation today
  • Third-generation nuclear technology is based on small evolutionary steps from previous designs
    • Third-generation reactor technologies are all water-based designs
    • Passive safety systems are now commonplace in reactor designs
    • Five new commercial designs in the US have had public expressions of commercial interest
  • There are four major third-generation PWR designs
    • The AP1000, using a pressurized water reactor design, makes extensive use of passive safety systems
    • General Electric' s ABWR was first certified in April 1997
    • Areva' s EPR is under construction only in Finland
    • Areva' s EPR has four separate heat removal and generating systems
    • The first of Mitsubishi' s APWRs will come online in Japan in 2014
  • Some third-generation designs are still in the process of being commercialized
    • HTGRs are a pebble-bed design that forms the basis for third-generation technologies
    • Breeder reactors produce more fissile material than they consume
  • The world is set for a new boom in nuclear plant construction, with PWR designs leading the market
    • Available nuclear capacity has decreased to historically unprecedented levels
    • PWRs are set to remain the most popular nuclear reactor design in the world for the foreseeable future
• APPENDIX
  • Glossary
  • Datamonitor consultancy
  • Ask the analyst
    • Disclaimer
  • List of Figures
    • Figure 1: Uranium-based nuclear fission
    • Figure 2: Neutrons that provoke uranium reactions must be slowed by a moderator
    • Figure 3: Standard BWR design
    • Figure 4: Standard PWR design
    • Figure 5: Heavy water CANDU reactor design
    • Figure 6: AGCR design
    • Figure 7: New commercial designs marketed in the US and their Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) certification status
    • Figure 8: Westinghouse' s AP1000 design
    • Figure 9: General Electric' s ABWR design
    • Figure 10: Areva' s EPR design in Finland
    • Figure 11: Areva' s standard EPR
    • Figure 12: Mitsubishi' s US-APWR design
    • Figure 13: HTGR (pebble-bed) reactor design
    • Figure 14: Global nuclear capacity utilization
    • Figure 15: Reactors operating and under construction globally