Reactor Roots

·Timeline

Y-axis is time; each family holds a lane — see the tempo of innovation.

First criticality
Plutonium piles
Pressurized water reactor
Boiling water reactor
VVER
PHWR / CANDU
Magnox
Advanced gas-cooled
RBMK
Liquid-metal fast breeder
Molten salt
High-temperature gas-cooled
Heavy-water hybrids
Sodium-graphite
Aqueous homogeneous
Space & propulsion
SMR / Gen IV