Coolants


The Coolant used to cool the reactor in most commercial reactors today is water. In this case, the water is dual purpose since it also serves a moderating function (i.e. it slows the neutrons down to thermal energy to increase the likelihood of fission). Desirable properties for a coolant include:

Coolants that have been used, in test or commercial applications, include:

Power plants that have used nonwater coolants have included:

Some excellent references on coolants:


Copyright © 1996-2006.  The Virtual Nuclear Tourist. All rights reserved. Revised: December 20, 2005.