SuperCritical Water-Cooled Reactors (SCWRs) are advanced nuclear reactors operating at temperatures and pressures above water's critical point (374°C, 22.1 MPa). SCWRs can feature thermal, fast, or mixed neutron spectra and are designed in two configurations: pressure vessel (similar to BWRs and PWRs) and pressure tubes (like CANDU reactors). Combining design insights from existing water-cooled reactors and supercritical fossil-fired plants, SCWRs achieve higher thermal efficiencies of 44-48%, significantly improving over the current 34-36%.
