Advanced Nuclear Reactors: Technology Overview and Current Issues

Abstract

All nuclear power in the United States is generated by light water reactors (LWRs), which were commercialized in the 1950s and early 1960s and are now used throughout most of the world. LWRs are cooled by ordinary ("light") water, which also slows ("moderates") the neutrons that maintain the nuclear fission chain reaction. High construction costs of large conventional LWRs, concerns about safety raised by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, growing volumes of nuclear waste, and other issues have led to increased interest in unconventional, or "advanced," nuclear technologies that proponents say could be less expensive, safer, and more fuel efficient than existing LWRs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 17, 2023
Accession Number
AD1193834

Entities

People

  • Mark Holt

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Chemical Reactions
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Climate Change
  • Climate Change Adaptation
  • Congress
  • Fission
  • Greenhouse Effect
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Nuclear Materials
  • Nuclear Power Plants
  • Nuclear Reactors
  • Thermal Neutrons
  • United States Government

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security