Research Status and Prospect of Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactor

In order to ensure the long-term nuclear power development in China, it is of crucial importance to deploy the innovative nuclear systems of generation Ⅳ (GEN-Ⅳ). Among the six GEN-Ⅳ reactor concepts recommended by the GEN-Ⅳ International Forum (GIF), supercritical water-cooled reactor (SCWR) is the only reactor type with water as coolant. Due to its economical advantage, technology and experience continuity, SCWR has attracted significant interests of nuclear industries and research institutions. It is also well recognized as an inevitable extension of the existing nuclear power plants, which mainly utilize water-cooled reactors. This paper presents the main technical features of SCWR and its position in the Chinese long-term nuclear power development. The ongoing research and development activities were summarized and the future needs were clarified. Finally, a roadmap of the development of China SCWR was proposed.