HEAVY-WATER-MODERATED POWER REACTORS ENGINEERING AND ECONOMIC EVALUATIONS. VOLUME I. SUMMARY REPORT

Capital investments and the cost of power were estimated for 21 heavy- water-moderated, natural-uraniumfueled power-reactor plants, ranging in capacity from 100 to 460 Mw(e). Comparisons were made of hot- and coldmoderator reactors and of the relative merits of pressuretube and pressure-vessel designs. Reactors cooled with liquid D/sub 2/O, boiling D/sub 2/O, /sub 2/O steam, and helium were evalunted. A cold-moderator pressure-tube reactor cooled with boiling D/sub 2/O shows the most economic promise of the D/sub 2/Omoderated reactor systems studied to date. Reactors of this type have sufficient reactivity to permit satisfactory fuel exposures, but the development of additional technology is a prerequisite for optimum designs. At capacities of 300 and 400 Mw(e), the estimated power costs from the current designs of boiling-D/sub 2/O pressure-tabe reactor plants are 11.3 and 9.8 mills/kwh, respectively. From liquid-D/sub 2/-cooled concepts of comparable capacities the indicated power costs are 7 to 20% higher. With an active development program, a power cost of 8.0 to 8.5 mills/kwh may be attained in a 300 Mw(e) boiling-D/sub 2/O reactor plant within the next decade. (auth