Skip to main content

Why Boiling Water?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima
  • 1675 Accesses

Abstract

The initial US reactor development program was led by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), the US Navy, and several major corporate organizations (GE, Westinghouse, and others). Together, these agencies produced the PWR reactors after they helped transition the US Navy submarine force from diesel-electric boats to nuclear powered entities. The technology developed during this time also set the stage for post-war commercial nuclear power plants. The BWR reactor advanced through various development stages at Argonne and in its early semicommercial operations at various sites throughout the US. Ultimately, the BWR became the second most popular reactor style in the US and the world.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 74.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anon., unknown. History of Argonne Reactor Operations, Lemont, IL: Argonne National Lab.

    Google Scholar 

  • Argonne National Lab, 2015. Light Water Reactors. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/reactors/lwr3.shtml. [Accessed 29 April 2016].

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck, A., 1983. A History of the Atomic Energy Commission. Washington, DC: US Department of Energy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kok, K. D., 2009. Nuclear Engineering Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gosling, F. G., 2010. Manhattan Project, Making the atomic bomb. Washington, DC: US DOE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haroldsen, R., 2008. The Story of the Borax Reactor. Idaho Falls, ID: Self.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holl, J. M., 1997. Argonne National Laboratory 1946-1996. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knief, R. A., 2008. Nuclear Engineering, Theory and Technology of Commercial Nuclear Power, LaGrange Park, IL: American Nuclear Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mt Diablo ASME Section, 1987. The Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor, New York, NY: ASME.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Park Service, 2007. B Reactor National Historic Landmark Nomination form, Washington, DC: National Park Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polmar, N., Moore, K., 2004. Cold War Submarines. Dulles, VA: Potomac Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewlett, R. G., Duncan, F., 1974. Nuclear Navy 1946-1962. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhodes, R., 1986. The Making of the Atomic Bomb. New York, NY: Touchstone.

    Google Scholar 

  • TID 8200, n.d. Nuclear Reactors built, being built, or planned as of June 30 1970, Oak Ridge, TN: US Atomic Energy Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, n.d. Reactor Concepts Manual, Boiling Water Reactor Systems, Washington, DC: US NRC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wicks, F., 2007. 50 years of nuclear power. Mechanical Engineering, November, pp. 36-39.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Filburn, T., Bullard, S. (2016). Why Boiling Water?. In: Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34055-5_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-34055-5_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-34053-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-34055-5

  • eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics