boiling-water reactor

noun

1. a nuclear reactor using water as coolant and moderator, steam being produced in the reactor itself: enriched uranium oxide cased in zirconium is the fuel BWR

Example Sentences

That plant has a boiling-water reactor that uses nuclear fission to heat water into high-pressure steam.

From Seattle Times

James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant: Another plant on the south shore of Lake Ontario in New York, FitzPatrick faces the same challenges as Ginna, but it’s also an older boiling-water reactor that may need upgrades.

From Forbes

That modeling took two representative nuclear power plants in the U.S.—a pressurized-water reactor from the Surry Power Station in Virginia and a boiling-water reactor from Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania—and attempted to assess what would happen in a severe accident, such as the loss of all electric power as a result of an earthquake, among other scenarios.

From Scientific American

But because of the location of such pools in older boiling-water reactor designs—specifically, in the upper levels of the reactor building—any water added would ultimately drain down through the building, inundating the emergency pumps in the basement.

From Scientific American

The emergency cooling system pump and motor for a boiling-water reactor are roughly the size and height of a compact hatchback car standing on its back bumper.

From New York Times