The US-APWR is an evolutionary
pressurized water reactor with improved efficiency, enhanced safety systems and other advanced design elements.
All commercial reactors in the United States fall into two categories,
pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR), collectively known as light water reactors (LWR).
The new patent is based on Lightbridge's 2014 Patent Cooperation Treaty application and covers an alternative embodiment of a multi-lobe fuel rod design; an all-metal
pressurized water reactor fuel assembly design incorporating multi-lobe fuel rods based on the alternative embodiment; and an all-metal PWR fuel assembly design incorporating multi-lobe fuel rods arranged into a mixed grid pattern, thereby covering the all-metal fuel assembly design after the most recent optimization.
Westinghouse supplied the world's first
pressurized water reactor in 1957 in Shippingport, Pa., U.S.
Among the topics are dosimetry assessments for the reactor pressure vessel and core barrel in British
pressurized water reactor plants, the sensitivity of adjustment to parameter correlations and to response-parameter correlations, Los Alamos National Laboratory fission basis, reactor pulse-repeatability studies at the Annular Core Research Reactor, and developing neutron measurement in intense gamma fields using a new type of nuclear emulsion.
Mitsubishi will conduct the study to confirm whether its EU-APWR
pressurized water reactor fulfills engineering, procurement and construction requirements in Finland, it said.
Meanwhile, China is developing its first domestic third-generation nuclear reactor - the CAP 1400 - which is based on Westinghouse Electric Cos AP1000
pressurized water reactor, and it will boost the units generating capacity to 1,400 mW from 1,154 mW.
Indeed, at both Three Mile Island and Fukushima Dai-ichi, the two principal variants--the
pressurized water reactor and boiling water reactor--both suffered catastrophic failures.
Similar to the EU patent announced last week, the new Chinese patent covers an alternative embodiment of a multi-lobe fuel rod design; an all-metal
pressurized water reactor, or PWR, fuel assembly design incorporating multi-lobe fuel rods based on the alternative embodiment; and an all-metal PWR fuel assembly design incorporating multi-lobe fuel rods arranged into a mixed grid pattern, covering the all-metal fuel assembly design after the most recent optimization.
