ABSTRACT
While the examples of use of water and steam as benign thermal energy carrier are numerous, this chapter focuses on four important applications of water and steam as energy carrier. Four applications that are considered include the role of water as a coolant and a thermal energy carrier for the nuclear reactor, the use of water and steam in the recovery of geothermal energy, the use of water to store heat produced from solar energy, and the role of steam to drive turbine for power generation from various types of fuel burning. The chapter illustrates the important role of water in the nuclear reactor and describes some of the water-based nuclear reactors. The light water reactor uses light water (hence enriched uranium) and this category contains two different types of reactor: pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR).
