BWR vs PWR

How are BWRs and PWRs different?

Like most other types of power plants, both Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) heat water to produce steam that drives turbines to produce electricity. Both reactor types use regular (light) water (H2O) as the steam source, coolant, and neutron moderator. The main difference between the two lies in the steam generation process.

bwr-pwr-comparison-2000px.png

The steam generation process

In a BWR, steam created in the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) goes directly to the steam turbine generator (STG). In a PWR, the hot water from the RPV produces steam in a steam generator (S/G), before it goes to the STG. The diagrams illustrate the two systems.

GEH’s BWR portfolio

Built on a legacy of safer and efficient operation

GE’s history of boiling water reactor (BWR) technology dates to the 1950’s. In 1957, the company’s Vallecitos boiling water reactor was the first privately owned and operated nuclear power plant to deliver significant quantities of electricity to a public utility grid. Over the next several decades, more than 60 GE BWRs went into operation with the first Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) entering operation in 1996. GEH’s Generation III+ reactor, the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) was certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2014.

GEH’s portfolio of modular reactors offer the safest and most efficient nuclear energy generation capability available. Plus, we offer a full range of new and existing nuclear plant services to help you achieve greater project development, execution, and maintenance.

Nuclear power plant by night

Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR)

The ABWR is the foundation of GEH’s nuclear reactor portfolio. The first Generation III nuclear plant operating, it offers the benefits of a combined 20+ reactor-years of safe, successful operation

ProEXR File Description

=Attributes=
cameraAperture (float): 36.000000
cameraFarClip (float): 3494.400391
cameraFarRange (float): 1000.000000
cameraFov (float): 47.961872
cameraNearClip (float): 3.030000
cameraNearRange (float): 0.000000
cameraProjection (int): 0
cameraTargetDistance (float): 200.000000
cameraTransform (m44f): [{-0.903995, -0.207278, 0.373938, 205.602}, {0.427544, -0.438267, 0.790651, 312.851}, {0, 0.874619, 0.484812, 332.322}, {0, 0, 0, 1}]
channels (chlist)
compression (compression): Zip16
dataWindow (box2i): [0, 0, 4499, 5999]
displayWindow (box2i): [0, 0, 4499, 5999]
gamma (float): 1.000000
lineOrder (lineOrder): Increasing Y
pixelAspectRatio (float): 1.000000
screenWindowCenter (v2f): [0.000000, 0.000000]
screenWindowWidth (float): 1.000000

=Channels=
A (half)
B (half)
G (half)
R (half)
VRayDRBucket.A (half)
VRayDRBucket.B (half)
VRayDRBucket.G (half)
VRayDRBucket.R (half)
VRayExtraTex_Map #47.A (half)
VRayExtraTex_Map #47.B (half)
VRayExtraTex_Map #47.G (half)
VRayExtraTex_Map #47.R (half)
VRayReflection.A (half)
VRayReflection.B (half)
VRayReflection.G (half)
VRayReflection.R (half)
VRayRefraction.A (half)
VRayRefraction.B (half)
VRayRefraction.G (half)
VRayRefraction.R (half)
VRayRenderID.A (half)
VRayRenderID.B (half)
VRayRenderID.G (half)
VRayRenderID.R (half)
VRaySampleRate.A (half)
VRaySampleRate.B (half)
VRaySampleRate.G (half)
VRaySampleRate.R (half)
VRayShadows.A (half)
VRayShadows.B (half)
VRayShadows.G (half)
VRayShadows.R (half)
VRayZDepth.A (half)
VRayZDepth.B (half)
VRayZDepth.G (half)
VRayZDepth.R (half)

Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR)

Built upon the ABWR’s proven technology, the ESBWR achieves even greater simplicity in design. Using natural circulation, the ESBWR has 25% fewer pumps and mechanical drives than existing active safety plants.

Videos

Featured ESBWR videos

ESBWR: Safer. Simpler. Smarter.

Discover how the world’s safest reactor, the ESBWR, provides improved safety, faster construction and lowers operating costs.

ESBWR: Culmination of 60 Years of Experience

See how the safest nuclear reactor design in the world is projected to have the lowest operating, maintenance, and staffing costs per MW hour of any reactor technology available today.

NRC Grants License to DTE Energy

DTE Energy receives the first-ever ESBWR-based combined construction and operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

Contact us

Want to learn more about GEH BWRs?