Doel 3 & Tihange 2 - Some Peer-reviewed Scientific Papers & Reports

Chapter 1 Reactor pressure vessel

1.1 Introduction A nuclear power plant (NPP) is a very complex high technology system. Several types of NPP’s are used for the production of electricity all over the world. The most popular types are the pressurized water reactor (PWR) and the boiling water reactor (BWR). The further discussion will be focussed on the PWR, since this is the type of nuclear reactor in Doel and Tihange, where the hydrogen flaws were found. A schematic representation of this type of reactor is given in Figure 1.1. [1]

Figure 1.1: Schematic representation of a PWR similar to Doel 3 and Tihange 2. [1] One of the most important parts in a nuclear power plant is the reactor pressure vessel (RPV). This vessel contains the core of the reactor, i.e. the nuclear fuel and the coolant. It is subjected to high pressures and temperature during operation. 5