Review of SCWR research in Japan

Abstract

SCWR (supercritical water cooled reactor) is one of the Generation IV reactors. This review summarizes the results of SCWR design concept development through numerical simulations carried out by the author-led team at the University of Tokyo and Waseda University from 1989 to 2014. They are core design, subchannel analysis, statistical thermal design, fuel rod design, development of fuel integrity criteria, plant system and heat balance, plant dynamics analysis, plant control, startup system, stability analysis, safety principle, safety criteria, safety analysis, transient subchannel analysis and fast reactor SCWR. A brief summary of experimental results on thermal hydraulics, materials and water chemistry follows. Discussion includes SCPR study by Japanese BWR manufacturers, comments on the 2005 INEEL SCWR report, misconceptions about SCWR and commercialization challenges. The SCWR is an innovation in light water reactors based on supercritical coal-fired power plant technology that has been in use worldwide for over half a century. This review covers most of the SCWR design and analysis. For researchers, it is a good subject to understand the design and analysis of light water reactors.