Classification of Nuclear
Reactors
1. Based on applications:
• Research and Development reactors: These reactors are used testing
new reactor designs and research.
• Production: These reactors are used for converting fertile materials
into fissile materials.
• Power: These reactors are used for generation of electrical energy.
2. According to type of fission:
• Fast reactors
• Slow reactors
• Intermediate reactors
• In fast reactors, the fission is caused by fast neutrons whereas in
thermal reactors it is caused by slow or thermal neutrons.
• Initially all the neutrons are fast when emitted in a reactor and in
thermal reactor, their speed is reduced with the help of moderator.
• For a natural uranium, graphite moderated reactor, the ratio of
moderator to fuel volume is between 50 and 80.
• For heavy water moderator, this ratio lies between 20 and 40.
• For enriched uranium, light water moderated reactor, this ratio is
between 1.5 and 2.5.
• The reactor core of a thermal reactor is very much larger than that of a
fast reactor which has no moderator.
• Obviously heat generated per unit volume of the reactor core in a
thermal very much less than that in a fast reactor with the result that
the cooling problems are much simpler in a thermal reactor.
• In intermediate reactors, most of fission events are caused by neutrons
in the process of slowing down.
• Such systems are very difficult to design because of the resonance
cross section structure in this energy range.
• Slightly enriched fuels are used in these reactors.
Fast reactors
• Advantages:
• Fast reactors can convert more fertile material to fissile material with
the result that the net fuel consumption for such reactors is much less.
• As a matter of fact, more fissile material could be produced in a fast
reactor than would be consumed by it.
• These reactors are small and compact and so easier to shield.
• Since absorption cross-sections are small, any structural material can
be used for reactor core.
• Disadvantages:
• Heat transfer and cooling problems in the core are complicated due to
high power density (thermal power to core volume ratio in KW/m3).
• High fuel loading requirement.
• The core of a fast reactor requires high enrichment (above 10% of
fissile material).
• Radiation damage (embrittlement and swelling) of the structural
materials in the core due to fast or high energy neutrons.
• The fast neutrons having much shorter “neutron lifetimes” than
thermal neutrons cause some control problems under certain
conditions.
Thermal Reactors:
• Advantages:
• Ease of control because of relatively low power densities and longer
neutron lifetimes.
• Greater inherent safety.
• Low fuel loading.
• Disadvantages:
• Very much restricted choice of fuel when uranium is used as fuel.
• Higher size and weight of reactor per unit power due to low power
density.
• More fissile material consumption.
• Requirements of small absorption cross-section structural materials.
3. According to type of fuel:
• Natural uranium
• Enriched uranium
• plutonium
4. According to the state of fuel
• Solid reactors
• Liquid reactors
5. According to the fuel cycle:
• A. Burner (Thermal) Reactor:
• Such reactors are designed for generating heat only without any
recovery of converted fertile material.
• B. Converter Reactor:
• Such reactors convert fertile material into fissile material different
from the one initially fed into the reactor core.
• We know that natural uranium as the nuclear fuel U-238 is converted
into plutonium.
• C. Breeder Reactor:
• Such reactors convert fertile material into a fissile material, which is
similar to one initially supplied to the reactor core.
• A breeder reactor is also one in which the fertile material is converted
into a fissile material at a rate higher than at which the fissile material
is consumed.
• 6. According to arrangement of fissile and fertile material:
• a. One region (fissile and fertile material mixed) reactor.
• b. Two region (fissile and fertile material separate) reactor.
• 7. According to the arrangement of fuel and the moderator.
• a. Homogeneous reactor.
• b. Heterogeneous reactor.
• In homogeneous reactors, the nuclear fuel and the moderator
represent a uniform mixture in the fluid form, including gases, liquids
and slurries.
• In a homogeneous reactor, the mixture of nuclear fuel and moderator
is circulated from the reactor to an external heat exchanger, then to a
pump and back to the reactor.
• The major drawback of homogeneous reactor is that the fuel solution
also contains the highly radio-active fission products.
• Any leakage or component failure in the primary-reactor coolant
system are extremely difficult to repair because of the presence of
these fission products.
• Otherwise, a homogeneous reactor has some significant advantages
such as excellent in core heat transfer because of generation of the
fission energy in the fuel-coolant solution itself.
• Also, the reactor fuel can be added, removed and reprocessed during
reactor operation without shutting it down.
• In heterogeneous reactors, separate fuel slugs or rods are inserted in
the moderator in some sort of regular arrangement forming a so called
lattice.
• Most of the present reactors are heterogeneous type.
8. On basis of moderator material used:
a) Heavy water reactors.
b) Graphite reactors.
c) Ordinary water reactors.
d) Beryllium reactors.
e) Organic reactors.
• The most commonly used moderator materials are graphite, ordinary
or natural water and heavy water.
• Graphite has got higher atomic weight than water and, therefore, the
reactors employing graphite as moderator will be very bulky.
• Natural water gives small and compact reactor, but the reactor would
have to pressurized and use enriched fuel.
• With heavy water, ordinary natural fuel may be used but it is very
expensive.
• 9. Based on Coolant used:
a) Gas cooled reactors.
b) Water cooled reactors.
c) Heavy water cooled reactors.
d) Liquid metal cooled reactors.
• 10. Based on cooling system employed:
a) Direct system of cooling reactors.
b) Indirect system of cooling reactors.
• Direct System of Cooling reactors:
• In direct system of cooling, the fuel is in the liquid form and it acts as
coolant.
• It is circulated through the reactor core and a heat exchanger in which
its heat is transferred to the circulating water to produce steam.
• In this system reactor may be either of the aqueous homogeneous type
or liquid metal fuelled type and the heat exchanger should be located
within the biological shield because the circulating liquid fuel is highly
radio-active.
• Indirect system of cooling reactors:
• In indirect system of cooling, the coolant may be a gas, water (light or
heavy), a liquid metal or an organic coolant.
• In this system of cooling, coolant is pumped through pipes.
