Nuclear industry, like other professional areas, has its own established vocabulary. For convenient understanding of the site texts we offer a short list of used terms and abbreviations.

 

ALARA - "As Low As Reasonably Achievable": the core principle of radialogical safety.

BN – fast neutron reactor, in which the primary and secondary circuit coolant is sodium, and the third contour coolants are water and steam. In Russia one BN-600 unit operated at Beloyarsk NPP.

BWR - Boiling water reactor

CANDU - type of PHWR reactor, using natural (non-enriched) uranium as a fuel, designed in Canada.

HWR - heavy water reactor (heavy water as moderator)

IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency

INES - International Nuclear Events Scale

ITER - International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

LWR - light water reactor (e.g. VVER)

MOX - mixed oxide fuel for nuclear reactors

PHWR - pressurized heavy water reactor

PWR - pressurized water reactor
 

RBMK (abbreviated from ‘high-power pressure-tube reactor’) – a type of single-contour power reactor with water used as coolant and graphite used as moderator. Operated on several NPP’s in Russia.

TVEL ('Teplovidelyaushy element' in Russian) - fuel rod with nuclear pellets inside.

TVS ('Teplovidelyaushaya sborka' in Russian, abbreviated from ‘fuel assembly’) – nuclear fuel assembly consisting of fuel rods, SUZ (reaction regulation system) channels, grids, stems and heads.

VVER (abbreviated from 'Water-moderated water-cooled power reactor') - the type of light water reactors, in which water is used as both coolant and moderator. The most used type of light water reactor of Russian design with two main modifications, VVER-440 and VVER-1000.

 

 

 

More nuclear terms and abbreviations (in Russian)