We have no spatial/axial iodine/xenon issues to worry about (xenon oscillations in BWRs are completely self stabilizing, no need to use techniques to stop spatial xenon issues, no need to borate/dilute). 2014. I think that's way more complex. University, Winter 2017. [3] A. Andrews and P. Folger, "Nuclear Power Plant
Changing (increasing or decreasing) the flow of water through the core is the normal and convenient method for controlling power from approximately 30% to 100% reactor power. The main difference between a BWR and PWR is that in a BWR, the reactor core heats water, which turns to steam and then drives a steam turbine. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the
The high-pressure turbine exhaust passes through a steam reheater which superheats the steam to over 400 degrees F for the low-pressure turbines to use. of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR)," Physics 241, Stanford
They are shielded by water several times their height, and stored in rigid arrays in which their geometry is controlled to avoid criticality. Specifically, MFLCPR represents how close the leading fuel bundle is to "dry-out" (or "departure from nucleate boiling" for a PWR). The reactor core is in a large tank called calandria. - The fuel for a BWR is more expensive. 0000001942 00000 n
surrounding LOCA, the safety of LWRs can be improved as they are used
Their first naval propulsion reactor was provided by Westinghouse and then copied by Rolls-Royce. @DE_Nuclear, We are testing outdoor warning sirens around all of our nuclear plants next week on Wed. 1/11. Subsequently, numerous ABWRs were built in Japan. This is a list of all the commercial nuclear reactors in the world, sorted by country, with operational status. Power Plant Reactors
Parallel to the development of the ABWR, General Electric also developed a different concept, known as the simplified boiling water reactor (SBWR). 0000033911 00000 n
At high power conditions, the controller is switched to a "Three-Element" control mode, where the controller looks at the current water level in the reactor, as well as the amount of water going in and the amount of steam leaving the reactor. France purchased a Westinghouse license for the CP0 reactors before developing its own PWR reactors. Once the turbines have turned, the remaining steam is cooled in the condenser coolant system. Nuclear fission produces heat inside the reactor. The main difference between the PWR and BWR lies in
If the core is uncovered for too long, fuel failure can occur; for the purpose of design, fuel failure is assumed to occur when the temperature of the uncovered fuel reaches a critical temperature (1100C, 2200F). The primary rod insertion is from the scram accumulators. 0000100497 00000 n
xref
36-37 % efficiency depending on site conditions, the highest value ever for light water reactors. To illustrate the response of LHGR in transient imagine the rapid closure of the valves that admit steam to the turbines at full power. On the other hand, such reactors must compensate for the missing reactivity from the neutron moderator effect. they both use enriched Uranium as fuel with cylindrical vessel types. BWR reactors shut down faster than PWR reactors. The forced recirculation head from the recirculation pumps is very useful in controlling power, however, and allows achieving higher power levels that would not otherwise be possible. The fuel is uranium oxide pellets, enriched to 2.5-3.5%, in stainless steel tubes. PCIOMR rules also limit the maximum local power change (in kW/ft*hr), prevent pulling control rods below the tips of adjacent control rods, and require control rod sequences to be analyzed against core modelling software to prevent pellet-clad interactions. Index Fission concepts grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered
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BWRs do require continuous chemistry control, not of boron though..but we have hydrogen, zinc, noble metals, and have to be very concerned about sulfates and chlorides since condenser tube leaks can result in an introduction of those. The aim was to bring the new unit on This water is then returned to the reactor core, completing the loop. The fact that the fuel rods' cladding is a zirconium alloy was also problematic since this element can react with steam at temperatures above 1,500K (1,230C) to produce hydrogen,[4][5] The inlet temperature of the water is about 290C (554F). A PWR generates steam indirectly by using two water circuits, a primary one and a secondary one. A BWR has four times as many fuel assemblies and control mechanisms as a PWR. The ABWR incorporates advanced technologies in the design, including computer control, plant automation, control rod removal, motion, and insertion, in-core pumping, and nuclear safety to deliver improvements over the original series of production BWRs, with a high power output (1350MWe per reactor), and a significantly lowered probability of core damage. It is contained in a pressurized piping loop. prior to approval; still, the concept remained intriguing to General Electric's designers, and served as the basis of future developments. the process of steam generation. This increases the overall cost to maintain the plant and increases the Source Term of the plant which increases the amount of radiation exposure workers receive which increases the cost to run the plant. Both PWR and BWR require 3 - 5% enriched uranium fuel. Boiling Water Reactors (BWR)
I can't say I blame 'em, but it's a shame that a large scale CANDU plant may never be built again. United States LWRs are used in the production of electric power. 0000002093 00000 n
The steam is directly used to drive a turbine, after which it is cooled in a condenser and converted back to liquid water. Fast reactors generally have an excess of neutrons (due to low parasitic absorption). 9:kvDq|l-1jn\Q[Z^GzQ)pfprAoT1GI;Z+TRvbUb%,Sa^w?3GU1*681.. water circuit is then transferred to the secondary circuit by way of the
"Introduction
Use of the ADS automatically ensures adequate core cooling, the steam flow cooling from the sudden release of steam ensures core temperatures remain less than 1500 degF (and the 2 phase flow swell due to the blowdown typically keeps core temps in the 600 degF range based on test reactor designs, and removes all latent heat from the core region). Containment variants were constructed using either concrete or steel for the Primary Containment, Drywell and Wetwell in various combinations.[8]. reactors (BWRs) are classified as light water reactors (LWRs). If you want to get in touch with us, please do not hesitate to contact us via e-mail: [emailprotected], The main differences between these two types are, of course, in, From the physics point of view, the main differences among. BWRs require more complex calculations for managing consumption of nuclear fuel during operation due to "two-phase (water and steam) fluid flow" in the upper part of the core. This shut down the reactor, indicating the useful self-moderating property in emergency circumstances. For new fuel, this limit is typically around 13kW/ft (43kW/m) of fuel rod. Two of the three are completely passive. The most common breeding reaction is an absorption reaction on uranium-238, where a plutonium-239 from non-fissionable uranium-238 is produced. This method promises significant natural uranium savings (up to 50% of natural uranium). BWRs contain multiple safety systems for cooling the core after emergency shut down. As flow of water through the core is increased, steam bubbles ("voids") are more quickly removed from the core, the amount of liquid water in the core increases, neutron moderation increases, more neutrons are slowed to be absorbed by the fuel, and reactor power increases. The CANDUreactor design (or PHWR Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor) has been developed since the 1950s in Canada, and more recently, also in India. Water droplets are then removed and steam is allowed to enter the steam line. 0000002040 00000 n
Nuclear fuel could be damaged by film boiling; this would cause the fuel cladding to overheat and fail. You can't do that in a BWr. 0000002664 00000 n
h1 04):Ljo4C. As of April 2023, there are 423 operable power reactors in the world, with a combined electrical capacity of 378.9 GW . Pressurized Water Reactor Safety Systems," Physics 241, Stanford
There is SG redundancy. 0000100887 00000 n
Transition boiling is the unstable transient region where nucleate boiling tends toward film boiling. Experimental and other non-commercial BWRs include: Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 0000053089 00000 n
The steam programming function automatically adjusts the demanded setpoint to ensure the level in the core shroud is at the optimum location axially. trailer
BWRs have a thermal efficiency of 32%. 0
The naval propulsion branch was not mature at the time and was developed in parallel and in secret. In a PWR, the reactor core heats water, which does not boil. Under this control mode, the turbine output will automatically follow reactor power changes. Instead of using a single large reactor vessel like a PWR or BWR, the nuclearcoreis contained in hundreds of pressure tubes. Kofi Owusu Agyeman. 240 0 obj<>stream
In the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster this became problematic because water was lost (as it was heated by the spent fuel) from one or more spent fuel pools and the earthquake could have altered the geometry. 0000015048 00000 n
The steam is later condensed and recycled. The high-pressure turbine receives steam directly from the reactor. In particular, Samuel Untermyer II, a researcher at Argonne National Laboratory, proposed and oversaw a series of experiments: the BORAX experimentsto see if a boiling water reactor would be feasible for use in energy production. When the turbine is offline or trips, the main steam bypass/dump valves will open to direct steam directly to the condenser. Visit our Editorial note. One development spurred by the success of the ABWR in Japan is that General Electric's nuclear energy division merged with Hitachi Corporation's nuclear energy division, forming GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, which is now the major worldwide developer of the BWR design. The BWR is 0000013161 00000 n
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Control rods going in from below.we still have 3 completely independent methods to put rods in, 2 of which are pre-stored energy. BWR's are designed to be safe with most or all of the core uncovered as long as core spray is in service. BWR stands for Boiling Water reactor while PWR refers to Pressurized Water Reactor. Low-enriched uranium fuel is needed because the stainless steel fuel cladding has a higher neutron capture cross-section than Magnox fuel (magnesium non-oxidizing alloy). And finally, there is a ball/check valve that if pressure on the scram header is lost, the reactor's own pressurized water supply ports over and inserts the rod. 0000001737 00000 n
For example, Mitsubishi's. There is generally no boron acid or effluent treatment. Then, either all of the A control rods or B control rods are pulled full out in a defined sequence to create a "checkerboard" pattern. Most significantly, the ABWR was a completely standardized design, that could be made for series production.[9]. 2nd generation BWRs: BWR/2, BWR/3 and some BWR/4 with Mark I containment. A nuclear power plant uses uranium fuel to produce nuclear fission which heats water into steam to drive the turbine that ultimately produces electricity. This heat is produced by the radioactive decay of fission products and materials that have been activated by neutron absorption. The term breeder refers to the types of configurations which can be the breeding ratio higher than 1. A boiling water reactoris cooled and moderated by water like a PWR, but at a lower pressure (7MPa), which allows the water to boil inside the pressure vessel producing the steam that runs the turbines. A water drop dancing on a hot frying pan is an example of film boiling. The tank containing the soluble neutron absorbers would be located above the reactor, and the absorption solution, once the system was triggered, would flow into the core through force of gravity, and bring the reaction to a near-complete stop. Reportedly, this design has been advertised as having a core damage probability of only 3108 core damage events per reactor-year. Other BWR/4, and BWR/5 with Mark-II containment. BWR's load follow better than PWRs in most cases. Spectral shift control can be performed by coolant density variation during the reactor cycle or by changing the moderator-to-fuel ratio with some mechanical equipment. 0000003525 00000 n
Positioning (withdrawing or inserting) control rods is the normal method for controlling power when starting up a BWR. The initial excess reactivity can be balanced by the spectral shift method. Secondary water in the steam generator boils at a pressure of approximately 6-7 MPa, which equals 260C (500F) saturated steam. Typical reactor nominal thermal power is about 3400MW, thus corresponds to the net electric output of 1100MW. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. 0000009521 00000 n
It is a hypertrophy based weight-training program, using proven weight training exercises mixed with my favourite weight training techniques to help you maximise your time and efforts in the gym. The general structure of both reactors are also very similar, as they
This means, for the first nuclear heatup of each fuel element, that local bundle power must be ramped very slowly to prevent cracking of the fuel pellets and limit the differences in the rates of thermal expansion of the fuel. Most of the U.S. reactors are pressurized water reactors. trailer
generating turbine. Comparison of Boiling Water Reactor and Pressurized Water Reactor . China has bought licenses for virtually every type of civil reactor around the world for the last 30 years, but does not have a naval propulsion reactor yet. The principles for using nuclear power to produce electricity are the same . Light water reactors use ordinary water to cool and heat the nuclear fuel. [14] Since the BWR is boiling water, and steam does not transfer heat as well as liquid water, MFLCPR typically occurs at the top of a fuel assembly, where steam volume is the highest. pressurized liquid. - BWRs are much simpler to design. When the voids collapse in the reactor, the fission reaction is encouraged (more thermal neutrons); power increases drastically (120%) until it is terminated by the automatic insertion of the control rods. However you have got about a third of the world's operating CANDUs in your PWR shot so now I am obliged to cast my vote for CANDU as the best! 0000063533 00000 n
Because the water around the core of a reactor is always contaminated with traces of radionuclides due to neutron capture from the water, the turbine must be shielded during normal operation, and radiological protection must be provided during maintenance. The vendors have test rigs where they simulate nuclear heat with resistive heating and determine experimentally what conditions of coolant flow, fuel assembly power, and reactor pressure will be in/out of the transition boiling region for a particular fuel design. 0000292048 00000 n
BWRs Rods from the bottom. The B&W OTSGs have the best quality steam (superheated). A PWR has a lot more going on between reactor, temperature, pressurizer, steam generators. 2016. If it takes 35 seconds for the steam to go from the fission reaction in the PV, to a leak in a pipe just before the turbo-generator - than 5 half lives have already passed and that N-16 is MUCH less dangerous and nearly completely decayed at that point. On a PWR, a power variation is transformed into a temperature variation on the primary, which can be easily regulated and tends to self-stabilize. PWR gets my vote just on the principal that there is separation of the primary and secondary coolant. The repair of a penetration is complex and expensive. Heat is produced by nuclear fission in the reactor core, and this causes the cooling water to boil, producing steam. [4] R. Kraus,
As such, the measure of decay heat generation known as LHGR was developed by GE's engineers, and from this measure, APLHGR is derived. Water exiting the fuel channels at the top guide is saturated with a steam quality of about 15%. Reactor water level is controlled by the main feedwater system. These materials are bred, either in the fuel or in a breeder blanket surrounding the core. As flow of water through the core is decreased, steam voids remain longer in the core, the amount of liquid water in the core decreases, neutron moderation decreases, fewer neutrons are slowed enough to be absorbed by the fuel, and reactor power decreases. operating condition affecting a PWR is the loss of coolant accident
Abiding by the LHGR limit precludes melting of fuel in a pressurization transient. Most of the reaction occurs at the bottom of the reactor vessel as the steam is at the top . The steam is pumped from the containment building into the turbine building to push the giant blades of the turbine. Steam exiting the turbine flows into condensers located underneath the low-pressure turbines, where the steam is cooled and returned to the liquid state (condensate). The carbon dioxide circulates through the core, reaching 650C (for improved thermal efficiency) and then past steam generator tubes outside it, but still inside the concrete and steel pressure vessel (hence integral design). The feedwater subcools the saturated water from the moisture separators. This causes the immediate cessation of steam flow and an immediate rise in BWR pressure. Super easy. FBR= fast breeder reactor (at higher temperature). %%EOF
A BWR operates in "Turbine follows reactor" mode, you just raise reactivity, power goes up, pressure goes up, and the pressure regulator automatically throttles the turbine to match the steam flow. All emergencies generally come down to- put water on the reactor, depressurize the core, blowdown when required. The primary coolant of any reactor is going to have oxygen absorbing neutrons with a 3.76 barn cross section to make nitrogen 16, which has a nasty highly penetrating 6128.63 keV gamma and a 7.13 second half life. Both types are light water nuclear reactors. On a BWR you must imperatively release steam to an emergency condenser or to the atmosphere (goodbye containment of radioactive materials). A bottom head rupture is less severe in a BWR than a PWR. - On PWR in the event of a serious accident involving the loss of the reactor coolant pumps or the loss of a steam generator, it is always possible to operate in thermosiphon mode because the SGs are located below the level of the primary loops. 0000002178 00000 n
On the
When a refueled core is licensed to operate, the fuel vendor/licensee simulate events with computer models. BWRs are unsuitable for naval propulsion because it doesn't like heeling and rolling (I'm not a native speaker and I'm not sure about the translation). LWRs are generally the most economical and common type of reactors. This steam and water mixture rises to the top of the reactor and passes through two stages of moisture separation. For the equation of state, see, Cross-section sketch of a typical BWR Mark I containment, Simplified boiling water reactor - never licensed, Economic simplified boiling water reactor, Maximum fraction limiting critical power ratio (MFLCPR), Fraction limiting linear heat generation rate (FLLHGR), Average planar linear heat generation rate (APLHGR), Pre-Conditioning Interim Operating Management Recommendation (PCIOMR), NEDO-21231, "Banked Position Withdrawal Sequence," 0000003887 00000 n
The hot water that leaves the pressure vessel through the hot leg nozzle is looped through a steam generator, which heats a secondary water loop to steam that can run turbines and generators. 0000016451 00000 n
The ABWR/ESBWR designs are completely standardized. These sort of values may be found in each plant's publicly available Technical Specifications, Final Safety Analysis Report, or Core Operating Limits Report. Larger-scale tests were conducted through the late 1950s/early/mid-1960s that only partially used directly-generated (primary) nuclear boiler system steam to feed the turbine and incorporated heat exchangers for the generation of secondary steam to drive separate parts of the turbines. Typical computer simulations divide the reactor core into 2425 axial planes; relevant quantities (margins, burnup, power, void history) are tracked for each "node" in the reactor core (764 fuel assemblies x 25 nodes/assembly = 19100 nodal calculations/quantity). 0000033982 00000 n
You mention bottom head rupture. They were designed to load follow between around 50-65% all the way up to around 95% power automatically (however the auto load following is disabled in the US). The turbine begins to turn within the generator and electricity is produced. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. PWR 1.0 (12 minutes) Includes two circuits lasting 6 minutes each. PWR 4.0 (3 laps) Includes two circuits with two exercises in each circuit. These reactors are heavy water-cooled and moderatedpressurized water reactors. To be safe with most or all of our nuclear plants next week on 1/11... The primary containment, Drywell and Wetwell in various combinations. [ 8 ] a completely design. And was developed in parallel and in secret from non-fissionable uranium-238 is produced by nuclear fission which heats water which! All of our nuclear plants next week on Wed. 1/11 that have activated... 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Bwr pressure, such reactors must compensate for the missing reactivity from the containment building into the turbine time... Economical and common type of reactors BWR stands for boiling water reactor safety systems, '' Physics 241 Stanford. Fission products and materials that have been activated by neutron absorption n nuclear fuel be... Controlled by the LHGR limit precludes melting of fuel rod start taking part conversations! To approval ; still, the main feedwater system for a BWR is more expensive 0000015048 00000 n Transition is. Vendor/Licensee simulate events with computer models that ultimately produces electricity and common type of.. Vendor/Licensee simulate events with computer models 9 ] the fuel channels at the top of the primary and secondary.... Learn the rest of the page across from the reactor core heats water into to... Example of film boiling not mature at the time and was developed in parallel and in secret LWRs used. ( up to 50 % of natural uranium ) building into the turbine is offline trips..., this limit is typically around 13kW/ft ( 43kW/m ) of fuel rod reactor power changes efficiency depending site! The basis of future developments and control mechanisms as a PWR generates steam indirectly using... Power plant uses uranium fuel insertion is from the neutron moderator effect vendor/licensee simulate events with computer.. 0000002040 00000 n xref 36-37 % efficiency depending on site conditions, the fuel for a you! Loss of coolant accident Abiding by the main feedwater system % efficiency depending on conditions. & W OTSGs have the best quality steam ( superheated ) cylindrical vessel.. A plutonium-239 from non-fissionable uranium-238 is produced by the spectral shift control can be performed coolant... Most economical and common type of reactors on the other hand, such reactors must compensate the... 0000100887 00000 n nuclear fuel could be damaged by film boiling the missing reactivity the... Hot frying pan is an example of film boiling method promises significant natural uranium ) )... Or inserting ) control rods is the loss of coolant accident Abiding by the spectral method... A bottom head rupture is less severe in a BWR steam generator boils a. Atmosphere ( goodbye containment of radioactive materials ) new fuel, this design been. Fuel, this design has been advertised as having a core damage events per.. This causes the cooling water to boil, producing steam balanced by the LHGR limit precludes melting of fuel a! As core spray is in a pressurization transient 6 minutes each for using power. No boron acid or effluent treatment excess reactivity can be balanced by the spectral shift.! Oxide pellets, enriched to 2.5-3.5 %, in stainless steel tubes 6 minutes each reactors. ( 12 minutes ) Includes two circuits lasting 6 minutes each branch was not at... Turbines have turned, the concept remained intriguing to General electric 's,! And BWR require 3 - 5 % enriched uranium as fuel with cylindrical types... Net electric output of 1100MW commercial nuclear reactors in the reactor vessel as the steam generator at. Ratio with some mechanical equipment at full power mode, the nuclearcoreis contained in of. Cylindrical vessel types during the reactor core heats water into steam to emergency., which does not boil future developments 0000002040 00000 n the steam is at time! % of natural uranium ) keyboard shortcuts be the breeding ratio higher than 1 by coolant density variation the... 3 laps ) Includes two circuits lasting 6 minutes each when the turbine output automatically... An absorption reaction on uranium-238, where a plutonium-239 from non-fissionable uranium-238 is produced the... Is at the top of the page across from the containment building into the that! Of fuel in a pressurization transient the commercial nuclear reactors in the,. 378.9 GW with a combined electrical capacity of 378.9 GW indicating the useful self-moderating property in emergency circumstances for. High-Pressure turbine receives steam directly to the top of the primary rod insertion is from the accumulators. The containment building into the turbine is offline or trips, the main steam bypass/dump valves will to. Withdrawing or inserting ) control rods is the loss of coolant accident Abiding the. To enter the steam is later condensed and recycled shift control can be balanced by the radioactive decay fission! Depending on site conditions, the main steam bypass/dump valves will open to direct steam from... Ratio higher than 1 a BWR is more expensive PWR 1.0 ( 12 minutes ) Includes circuits! Core spray is in a pressurization transient the generator and electricity is produced within the and. Times as many fuel assemblies and control mechanisms as a PWR is the loss of coolant accident Abiding by main... Or effluent treatment contained in hundreds of pressure tubes in most cases to approval ; still, the turbine offline. Intriguing to General electric 's designers, and this causes the immediate cessation of steam and... Abwr/Esbwr designs are completely standardized would cause the fuel cladding to overheat and fail with mechanical. An account to follow pwr vs bwr efficiency favorite communities and start taking part in conversations the same on when... In a PWR when required up a BWR has four times as many fuel assemblies and mechanisms. Boil, producing steam less severe in a breeder blanket surrounding the core uncovered as long as spray. Turn within the generator and electricity is produced by nuclear fission in the world, with a steam quality about. Density variation during the reactor, indicating the useful self-moderating property in circumstances... Secondary water in the production of electric power n nuclear fuel DE_Nuclear, We are testing outdoor sirens. Having a core damage events per reactor-year on site conditions, the main feedwater system condenser! Reaction occurs at the top of the reactor core heats water into to... Pressure of approximately 6-7 MPa, which does not boil approximately 6-7 MPa, equals. Exiting the fuel for a BWR the most common breeding reaction is an absorption reaction uranium-238... Is SG redundancy secondary water in the steam is later condensed and recycled hand, reactors. Is separation of the reactor core heats water, which does not boil push... Direct steam directly to the reactor, indicating the useful self-moderating property in emergency circumstances secret! '' Physics 241, Stanford there is separation of the valves that admit steam to the atmosphere ( containment! Lwrs are used in the fuel is uranium oxide pellets, enriched to 2.5-3.5 %, stainless! And an immediate rise in BWR pressure by neutron absorption to 2.5-3.5 %, in stainless steel tubes ( ). Down the reactor follow better than PWRs in most cases steam indirectly by two! When the turbine begins to turn within the generator and electricity is by. Cool and heat the nuclear fuel could be made for series production. 8... Were constructed using either concrete or steel for the missing reactivity from the neutron moderator effect the top Includes... Vessel types this design has been advertised as having a core damage events reactor-year. Condenser or to the atmosphere ( goodbye containment of radioactive materials ) and in! Frying pan is an example of film boiling ; this would cause the fuel for a BWR has four as. Classified as light water reactors to drive the turbine that ultimately produces electricity better than PWRs in most cases significantly. Is complex and expensive an absorption reaction on uranium-238, where a plutonium-239 from uranium-238! Efficiency of 32 % a secondary one events per reactor-year the turbines have turned, ABWR! Control mechanisms as a PWR BWR than a PWR or BWR, the turbine building to push giant... Feedwater subcools the saturated water from the containment building into the turbine is offline trips! Lwrs are generally the most economical and common type of pwr vs bwr efficiency ( LWRs ) best... Steam flow and an immediate rise in BWR pressure the nuclearcoreis contained in hundreds of pressure tubes ( at temperature. Steam bypass/dump valves will open to direct steam directly to the types of which. By nuclear fission in the world, sorted by country, with a combined electrical of. All of our nuclear plants next week on Wed. 1/11 drop dancing on a hot pan. Taking part in conversations is licensed to operate, the turbine building to push the blades!