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Published: 1960

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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 D2O, boiling D2O, 2O steam, and helium were evalunted. A cold-moderator pressure-tube reactor cooled with boiling D2O shows the most economic promise of the D2Omoderated 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-D2O pressure-tabe reactor plants are 11.3 and 9.8 mills/kwh, respectively. From liquid-D2-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-D2O reactor plant within the next decade. (auth).