The power industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the rising demand for electricity, shift away from fossil fuel-powered generation and the need for reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and growing importance of technologies such as heat exchangers and cooling systems. In the last three years alone, there have been over 439,000 patents filed and granted in the power industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Renewable Energy in Power: Nuclear reactor cooling systems.
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which uses over 83,000 patents to analyse innovation intensity for the power industry, there are 90+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Nuclear reactor cooling systems is a key innovation area in renewable energy
Most reactor systems employ a cooling system that is physically separated from the water that will be boiled to produce pressurised steam for the turbines, like the pressurised water reactor. However, in some reactors the water for the steam turbines is boiled directly by the reactor core, for example the boiling water reactor.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of nuclear reactor cooling systems.
Key players in nuclear reactor cooling systems – a disruptive innovation in the power industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to nuclear reactor cooling systems
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2021) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| China General Nuclear Power | 186 | Unlock company profile |
| Brookfield Asset Management | 124 | Unlock company profile |
| General Electric | 91 | Unlock company profile |
| Korea Electric Power | 90 | Unlock company profile |
| Hitachi | 70 | Unlock company profile |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 65 | Unlock company profile |
| Electricite de France | 51 | Unlock company profile |
| Joint Stock Company Atomkomplekt | 47 | Unlock company profile |
| Fluor | 44 | Unlock company profile |
| BWX Technologies | 38 | Unlock company profile |
| CEA | 36 | Unlock company profile |
| State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom | 32 | Unlock company profile |
| Rolls-Royce Holdings | 31 | Unlock company profile |
| Holtec International | 30 | Unlock company profile |
| Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy | 27 | Unlock company profile |
| Flowserve | 16 | Unlock company profile |
| King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy | 11 | Unlock company profile |
| CEZ | 8 | Unlock company profile |
| China National Nuclear | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Fujikura | 6 | Unlock company profile |
| Societe Technique pour l’Energie Atomique | 5 | Unlock company profile |
| Toshiba | 5 | Unlock company profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
BWX Technologies (BWXT) is one of the key patent filers for nuclear reactor cooling systems, and a speciality manufacturer of nuclear components. It designs, engineers, and manufactures precision naval nuclear components, reactors, and nuclear fuel components. BWXT has a wide range of SPIG cooling systems product lines and supplies an extensive range of turnkey cooling systems globally.
Hitachi is another key patent filer for nuclear reactor cooling systems, which offers advanced reactors, reactor components and nuclear service. Hitachi collaborated with General Electric and formed Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, with experience in the nuclear energy business, and is working within that field, while promoting highly reliable manufacturing and services practices. Hitachi’s contribution to Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy includes Nuclear Reactor Cooling (High-Pressure Alternate Cooling System), Corium Shield, Plate-type Heat Exchanger, and Corium Buffer.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the power industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Power.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
