HEAVY-WATER-MODERATED POWER REACTORS. A Status Report

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1960

OSTI ID:4171663

Babcock, D F; Davis, P J; Hood, R R; Hoveke, G F

Cost estimates show that a pressure tube reactor cooled . by boiling D/sub 2/ offers the most promise of eventually producing competitive electric power of any of the various D/sub 2/O-cooled-and-moderated reactor systems that have been studied to date. It is estimated that a boiling reactor fueled with natural uranium could prcduce power for about 9 mills/kwh in a 300 Mw(e) plant and for about 10 mills/kwh in a 200 Mw(e) plant. In order to attain completely competitive power costs, the fuel cycle cost must be made lower than the cost of either fossil fuel or the enriched uranium fuel used in other types of power reactors. It is concluded that first priority should be given to development work aimed at determining whether the fuel cycle cost in a full-scale reactor can be reduced to 1 mil/kwh, and preferably to an even lower value. The early portion of this work can be accomplished in the Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR), a fuel-irradiation facllity now under construction. (auth)

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) & Co. Atomic Energy Div., Wilmington, Del.; Nuclear Development Corp. of America, White Plains, N.Y.; Sargent and Lundy, Chicago
• NSA Number: NSA-14-018620
• OSTI ID: 4171663
• Report Number(s): DP-480
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BOILING
ECONOMICS
HEAVY WATER COOLANT
HEAVY WATER MODERATOR
HWCTR
IRRADIATION
NATURAL URANIUM FUEL
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
TUBES