Editing Pressurized water reactor (section)

== Advantages ==
PWR reactors are very stable due to their tendency to produce less power as temperatures increase; this makes the reactor easier to operate from a stability standpoint.

PWR turbine cycle loop is separate from the primary loop, so the water in the secondary loop is not contaminated by radioactive materials.

PWRs can passively scram the reactor in case offsite power is lost to immediately stop the primary nuclear reaction. The control rods are held by electromagnets and fall by gravity when current is lost; full insertion safely shuts down the primary nuclear reaction.

PWR technology is favoured by nations seeking to develop a nuclear navy; the compact reactors fit well in nuclear submarines and other nuclear ships.

PWRs are the most deployed type of reactor globally, allowing for a wide range of suppliers of new plants and parts for existing plants. Due to long experience with their operation they are the closest thing to [[mature technology]] that exists in nuclear energy.

PWRs - depending on type - can be fueled with [[MOX-fuel]] and/or the Russian [[Remix Fuel]] (which has a lower {{chem|239|Pu}} and a higher {{chem|235|U}} content than "regular" U/Pu MOX-fuel) allowing for a (partially) closed [[nuclear fuel cycle]].

Water is a nontoxic, transparent, chemically unreactive (by comparison with e.g. [[NaK]]) coolant that is liquid at room temperature which makes visual inspection and maintenance easier. It is also easy and cheap to obtain unlike [[heavy water]] or even [[nuclear graphite]].

Compared to reactors operating on [[natural uranium]], PWRs can achieve a relatively high [[burnup]]. A typical PWR will exchange a quarter to a third of its fuel load every 18-24 months and have maintenance and inspection, that requires the reactor to be shut down, scheduled for this window. While more [[uranium ore]] is consumed per unit of electricity produced than in a natural uranium fueled reactor, the amount of [[spent fuel]] is less with the balance being [[depleted uranium]] whose radiological danger is lower than that of natural uranium.