Pressurized water reactors

The general operating principles of pressurized water reactor (PWR) power plants are presented, along with the main limits to be respected for the core and boiler.

The control chains for the main parameters are described: measurements used, functional structures, actuators controlled.

A detailed description is given of the protection system that can automatically shut down the reactor (collapse of all clusters) and initiate backup functions. The interface with conventional protection systems is discussed.

The operation of the boiler in response to the needs of the electrical network is presented in relation to the regulation of the turbo generator set: load following, primary regulation (or contribution to frequency regulation), secondary regulation (or participation in "remote regulation").

Finally, we show and comment on the evolution of the most important parameters during transients typical of normal operation. We also describe the main operations involved in switching from the "cold" shutdown state to the nominal power state.