Fundamentals of Controlled Nuclear Fission and Essential Characteristics of Pressurized‐Water Reactors

Abstract Among the nuclear power plants of large capacity currently operating worldwide, the light‐water reactor (LWR) is the dominating technology either as boiling‐water reactors (BWR) or as pressurized‐water reactors (PWR), with the latter being the most frequently operated design. The fundamentals of controlled nuclear fission and the essential characteristics of a nuclear reactor are explained in the chapter. Design, function, and safety concepts of a nuclear power plant are explained taking aPWRas the example.