How does a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) operate?

How does a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) operate?

• A. The primary water is heated directly in the reactor vessel to steam.
• B. The secondary water is heated and used to generate steam in a boiler.
• C. The primary water is heated under pressure in the reactor vessel and runs through a steam generator to create steam.
• D. Steam is produced by burning fuel outside the reactor.

Answer: (C)

In a Pressurized Water Reactor, heat from the nuclear fission occurring in the reactor core is carried away by water that stays under high pressure in the primary circuit. Keeping this coolant under high pressure prevents it from boiling inside the reactor vessel. This hot, pressurized water then flows through a steam generator, where its heat is transferred to a separate loop of water. The secondary loop absorbs that heat and becomes steam, which drives the turbines to produce electricity. The two loops remain separate so radioactivity stays contained in the primary side, and the steam going to the turbine is not radioactive. This is why the best description is that the primary water is heated under pressure in the reactor vessel and runs through a steam generator to create steam.

In a Pressurized Water Reactor, heat from the nuclear fission occurring in the reactor core is carried away by water that stays under high pressure in the primary circuit. Keeping this coolant under high pressure prevents it from boiling inside the reactor vessel. This hot, pressurized water then flows through a steam generator, where its heat is transferred to a separate loop of water. The secondary loop absorbs that heat and becomes steam, which drives the turbines to produce electricity. The two loops remain separate so radioactivity stays contained in the primary side, and the steam going to the turbine is not radioactive.

This is why the best description is that the primary water is heated under pressure in the reactor vessel and runs through a steam generator to create steam.