PWR

PWR is the abbreviation for the Pressurized Water Reactor. These reactors were originally designed by Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory for military ship applications, then by the Westinghouse Nuclear Power Division for commercial applications. The first commercial PWR plant in the United States was Shippingport, which operated for Duquesne Light until 1982. In addition to Westinghouse, Asea Brown Boveri-Combustion Engineering (ABB-CE), Framatome, Kraftwerk Union, Siemens, and Mitsubishi have typically built this type of reactor throughout the …

…is provided by Condenser Cooling Water pumped through the condenser by Circulating Water Pumps, which take a suction from water supplied from the ocean, sea, lake, river, or Cooling Tower (shown). A discussion of cooling towers is provided in the photo section. Information on the types of systems used in each type of PWR reactor and plant design may be found by clicking one of the following links to the specific NRC plant information book: