What happens inside a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) System?

By Rahul Ghosh
Introduction
In todays world, almost everything from phones to cars to homes are powered by electricity.
Electricity isnt just found and used like a natural resource, it needs to be generated. There are
numerous processes and methods to generate electricity. One leading process is through
nuclear power plants, in which the use of nuclear fission is used to generate heat. The heat is
then converted into electricity.
There are multiple designs of reactors that are used or going to be made in the near future.
Currently, the main design is the pressurized water reactor (PWR) system. Some aspects of this
system that differs from other reactor designs include type of fuel, coolant, moderator, and the
process itself. The purpose of this document is to inform the general public of was the PWR
consists of and how it works. If the reader has any background knowledge of reactor designs, it
would help understanding the parts and mechanisms of the reactor.

Pressurized Water Reactor

The concept behind any nuclear reactor is that it produces and controls the energy/heat
produced from splitting atoms of uranium, a process known as nuclear fission. That heat is used
to turn water into steam, which in turn drives turbine generators to produce electricity. A
pressurized water reactor is distinguished from other reactor designs by having a primary
cooling circuit which flows through the core of the reactor under very high pressure, and a
secondary circuit in which steam is generated to drive the turbine. The major systems of a PWR
consist of a reactor, pressurizer, steam generator, turbine, condenser, and a cooling tower.
These part are described in further detail below.

*Picture taken from http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students/animated-pwr.html

Reactor
As mentioned before, fission is the process of splitting an atom. The result of fission is
energy/heat. In the case of a PWR, the atom that is split is uranium-235 (235U). The process is
initiated when the uranium atoms are bombarded by sub-atomic particles known as neutrons.
Once the uranium-235 atom is split, the neutrons from the atom run free and bombard other
uranium-235 atoms. This begins a chain reaction which produces heat. To control these chain
reactions, the reactor vessel utilizes long rods called control rods, which absorb neutrons and
prevents the chain reaction from going
out of control.
The uranium-235 fuel that is utilized
inside the reactor, is made as small
round fuel pellets that are less than an
inch long. One pellet has the capability of
producing energy equivalent to that of a
ton of coal. The fuel pellets are placed
into 12 feet long fuel rods, which are
grouped into a fuel assembly of about
200 rods. The control rods that are used
to control the chain reaction from fission,
are inserted into the fuel assembly to
absorb any neutrons and preventing
them from starting a chain reaction.
Pulling out the control rods would allow
the fission to recommence.
PWR Fuel Assembly

Pressurizer
The heat that is produced from fission in the reactor is transferred to the primary cooling circuit
(reactor coolant system), a water system, which is heated to over 600 degrees Fahrenheit. In a
pressurized water reactor, the key purpose of the pressurizer is to prevent the water from boiling
by keeping it under pressure. Keeping the water in liquid form ensures the most efficient heat
transfer.

Steam Generator
The pressurized water from the pressurizer goes through a heat exchanger known as a steam
generator. This is where the water is turned into steam from the heat generated from the
reactor. The steam generator serves as an intermediary between the primary cooling circuit and
the secondary cooling circuit. Because the water in the primary cooling circuit comes into direct
contact with radioactive fuel elements in the reactor, the primary and secondary circuits are both
closed circuits. This means that the water from either system will not mix with another. This

prevents any contaminated water from reaching a lake or another system where humans are in
direct contact.

Turbine and Generator

Pipes carry the steam from the steam generator outside a containment shield to a turbine,
where giant blades are turned and the heat energy is converted to mechanical energy. The
turbine is also connected to an electric generator by a rotating shaft where the mechanical
energy is convert to electricity by a magnet inside the generator. The current from the generator
is then fed into a transformer where the voltage is increased so that it can be transported
through long distances over the grids high-voltage power lines.

Condenser
When the steam leaves the turbine it is sucked in by the condenser. Here the steam is cooled
so that it converts back into liquid water and returned to the steam generator so that it can be
used again, closing the secondary system. The condenser is also part of a third water system
known as the condenser coolant.

Cooling Tower
Water from the condenser is circulated through cooling towers to remove any excess heat. The
water is pumped to the top and then allowed to power down the tower. As the water is pouring
down, fans on top of the towers pulls air through the water, which in return lowers the
temperature. The water is then sent back to the condenser to repeat the process.
However, not all nuclear power plants utilize cooling towers. Instead, some use the water from a
nearby lake or river. The lake water flows through condenser tubes to condense the steam back
into water. That water then goes down a long canal to cool down and eventually enters the lake
or river.

Conclusion
The PWR design plays an essential role in the Nuclear Energy industry. It makes up for most of
the nuclear reactors in the world. There are many advantages of using a PWR over any other
reactor design. One advantage is that as the temperature increases the reactor will produce
less power, therefore being very stable. Another is the separation of the primary and secondary
loops so that the water in the second loop does not get contaminated by radioactive materials.
Through this document, one should have a general understanding of how a pressurized water
reactor (PWR) works.