Pressurised heavy-water reactor
Also written PHWR, CANDU, heavy water reactor
Heavy water (deuterium oxide) kept under pressure as both coolant and moderator, which absorbs far fewer neutrons than ordinary water and so lets the reactor run on natural, unenriched uranium. That is the CANDU design's defining trade: heavy water is expensive to produce, but the fuel needs no enrichment plant. Fuel is natural or slightly enriched uranium oxide, usually in horizontal pressure tubes, refuelled online without shutting the reactor down.
In the record: 7 companies, 0 laboratories and programmes, 0 reactors and 1 reactor design.
Not yet in the record for this approach: reactors or measurements.
Related approaches
Broader: Water-cooled
Companies 7
Reactor designs 1
Size class is worked out from the electrical output of one unit: up to 10 MWe is a microreactor, up to 300 MWe a small modular reactor. A design with no stated output is not classed.
| Design | Developer | Electrical output per unit | Size class | Licensing stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPHWR-700 700 MWe PHWR, Indian PHWR-700 | NPCIL | 700 MWe claimed | Large reactor | No milestone recorded |
Guides
- Reactor types explained The three questions that classify any fission reactor, and how pressurised water, boiling water, heavy water, gas-cooled, salt-cooled, molten-salt, sodium, lead and heat-pipe reactors each answer them.
Pressurised heavy-water reactor in the glossary · Fission overview · All approaches