Properties of zirconium alloys and their applications in light water reactors (LWRs) - Materials' Ageing and Degradation in Light Water Reactors - page 127

Table 4.7 Design parameters for water cooled reactors (Adamson et al. , 2002)

Parameter Western type PWR VVER (440/1000) MW CANDU b BWR RBMK c

1. Coolant Pressurized H 2 O Pressurized H 2 O Pressurized D 2 O Boiling H 2 O Boiling H 2 O

2. Fuel materials (Pressure

tube materials)

Zry-4, ZIRLO e , DUPLEX,
M5, Inconel, SS e

Zr-alloy E110 Zry-4 (Zr-2.5Nb) Zr-2, Zry-4,

Inconel, SS

Zr-alloy E110,
(Zr-2.5Nb)

3. Average power rating, kW/l 80-125 83-108 9-19 40-57 5

4. Fast neutron fl ux, Average, n/cmt.s 6-9 × 10 13 5-7 × 10 13 1.5-2 × 10 12 4-7 × 10 13 1-2 × 10 13

5. Temperatures, ° C

Average coolant inlet

279-294 267-290 249-257 272-278 270

Average coolant outlet 313-329 298-320 293-305 280-300 284

Max cladding OD 320-350 335-352 310 285-305 290

Steam mass content, % 7-14 14

6. System pressure, bar 155-158 125-165 96 70 67

7. Coolant fl ow, m/s 3-6 f 3.5-6 3-5 2-5 f 3.7

8. Coolant chemistry g

Oxygen, ppb <0.05 <0.1 200-400 <20

Hydrogen (D 2 ),
ppm
cc/kg

2-4
25-50

(3-10) 0.05-0.30 -

30-60

Boron (as boric acid), ppm 0-2200 0-1400 - - -

Li (as LiOH), ppm 0.5-3.5 0.05-0.6 1 - -

K (as KOH), ppm - 5-20 - -

NH3, ppm 6-30

NaOH, ppm 0.03-0.35

a Voda Voda Energo Reactor (VVER).
b Canadian Deuterium Uranium (CANDU).
c Reaktor Bolshoi Mozhnosti Kanalov (RBMK).
d Zirconium Low Oxidation (ZIRLO).
e Stainless Steel.
f Variation from lower to upper part of the core and from plant to plant.
g Zn in ppb quantities may be added for BWRs and PWRs; Pt and Rh in ppb quantities may be added for BWRs.
Source: A.N.T. International (2011).