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Climate Change & Energy

Definitions

Below is a directory of terms used in the field of nuclear power. Most of the terms have been reproduced or adapted from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) and the World Nuclear Association (WNA).

Climate change is the greatest challenge facing the world today. Long-term development planning must now include measures to deal with it.

B

Boiling water reactor (BWR)

The second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor design after the pressurised water reactor (PWR). In this design, high-pressure water flows upward through the core where it is heated by fission and allowed to boil in the reactor vessel. The resulting steam then drives turbines, which activate generators to produce electrical power.