What Does
Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Mean?
Pressurized water reactor (PWR) refers to equipment used to generate steam by harnessing and processing nuclear power. The steam is then often used to drive a turbine and produce electricity.
Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) tend to be prone to waterline corrosion due to the large quantity of fluids that they house and process on a regular basis.
Corrosionpedia Explains Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)
Pressurized water reactors (PWRs) were initially designed to assist as propulsion devices for nuclear submarines. They are now commonly designed to use very pure water to:
- Increase fluid and material temperatures
- Sustain high pressures for a given application
- Generate steam that is used to drive turbines
Waterline corrosion is a type of oxidation process that can happen to materials in contact with water. Waterline corrosion occurs when one portion of a base material is submersed in water and another portion is exposed to the air.