---
title: Core Design Options for High Power Density BWRs
description: Exploring innovative core design options to increase power density in BWRs while maintaining safety margins, focusing on fuel pin geometry and materials.
---

[![CAnes logo\[96\]](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png?width=300&height=91&name=CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png "CAnes logo[96]")](https://canes.mit.edu/)

[![canes](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/canes.png?width=300&height=91&name=canes.png "canes")](https://canes.mit.edu/)

[![](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/canes.png?width=500&height=152&name=canes.png)](https://canes.mit.edu/)

This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached.

- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

- [the center](https://canes.mit.edu/center)
- [science + engineering](https://canes.mit.edu/science-engineering)
- [E+ Lab](https://canes.mit.edu/epluslab)
- [publications](https://canes.mit.edu/reports)
- [events](https://canes.mit.edu/events)

This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached.

- There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

# Core Design Options for High Power Density BWRs

by [MIT CANES](https://canes.mit.edu/media/author/mit-canes) | Sep 20, 2024

[Request Copy](https://canes.mit.edu/report-request)  
Report Date: November 2007  
Appendices: No

Executive Summary

Research Objectives and Scope of Work

Increasing the power in existing and future Boiling Water Reactors will be beneficial for their economic performance.  The overall objective of this research is to assess the feasibility of increasing the core power by increasing the power density of existing and future BWR, while maintaining the same accepted safety margins for today's BWRs.  In principle this may be achieved by varying the operating conditions, assembly geometry, fuel types, and/or fuel-pin designs.  While some progress has been achieved over the years towards increasing the power density of BWRs, it has mainly come by three approaches:  reducing the uncertainty about operating conditions, reducing the peak pin and assembly power factors and using a smaller diameter pins in the assemblies.  This project will focus on what can be achieved through innovative geometry and/ or materials of the fuel pins at fixed operating pressure, core inlet temperature, core exit enthalpy, and power distribution.  Independently, the impact of these operating conditions will be explored.  The reference BWR for this work was tasked to be a BWR6 reactor....

Program:     NFC Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program  
Type:     PR 

RPT. No.: 97

[BACK TO THE CENTER->](https://canes.mit.edu/center)

Topics:   [NFC Nuclear Fuel Cycle Program](https://canes.mit.edu/media/tag/nfc-nuclear-fuel-cycle-program)

Recent posts

[Nuclear Energy Dominance: Can the US do it Alone?](https://canes.mit.edu/media/energy-dominance-can-the-us-do-it-alone)

[Assessment of the Lifecycle Cost of Nuclear Grade Coolants for Advanced Reactors](https://canes.mit.edu/media/assessment-of-the-lifecycle-cost-of-nuclear-grade-coolants)

[Bilge Yildiz and Jacopo Buongiorno Take Nuclear-Fueled AI to TEDx](https://canes.mit.edu/media/bilge-yildiz-and-jacopo-buongiorno-take-nuclear-fueled-ai-to-tedx)

[Levelized Cost of Fuel (LCOF) Studies for Microreactors Using TRISO Fuel in Hydride and Beryllium-based composite Moderators in Open and Closed Fuel Cycles](https://canes.mit.edu/media/a-preliminary-study-on-the-feasibility-of-nuclear-batteries-for-offshore-power-generation-0)

[A Preliminary Study on the Feasibility of Nuclear Batteries for Offshore Power Generation](https://canes.mit.edu/media/a-preliminary-study-on-the-feasibility-of-nuclear-batteries-for-offshore-power-generation)

[![CAnes logo\[96\]](https://canes.mit.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png?width=3300&height=1000&name=CAnes%20logo%5B96%5D.png "CAnes logo[96]")](https://canes.mit.edu/)

77 Massachusetts Avenue, 24-215  
Cambridge, MA 02139

[canes@mit.edu](mailto:canes@mit.edu)

- [ACCESSIBILITY](https://accessibility.mit.edu/)
- [MEDIA](https://canes.mit.edu/center-media)
- [CENTER](https://canes.mit.edu/center)
- [EVENTS](https://canes.mit.edu/events)
- [MAP](http://whereis.mit.edu/?go=24)

- [MIT CCSE](https://cse.mit.edu/)
- [MIT ENERGY INITIATIVE](https://energy.mit.edu/)
- [MIT MECHE](http://meche.mit.edu/)
- [MIT NRL](http://nrl.mit.edu/)
- [MIT NSE](http://web.mit.edu/nse/)
- [MIT PSFC](https://www.psfc.mit.edu/)

© 2024 Massachusetts Institute of Technology   |  Privacy Policy