| Under operating conditions, a reactor may passively (that is, in the absence of any control systems) increase or decrease its power output in the event of a LOCA or of voids appearing in its coolant system (by water boiling, for example). This is measured by the coolant void coefficient. Most modern nuclear power plants have a negative void coefficient, indicating that as water turns to steam, power instantly decreases. Two exceptions are the Russian RBMK and the Canadian CANDU (in the latter case, for reasons outlined at the site Nuclearfaq, which also describes the safety systems designed to reliably handle this feature of the design). Boiling water reactors, on the other hand, are designed to have steam voids inside the reactor vessel. |
Loss of Coolant Agent
id:
4175718
