The Turbine is not a High Rad Area at power, nobody gets an RCS shower when you change control rod drives, dose rates are lower pretty much everywhere, containments are easier to get around in than drywells (well, most of them,) no Torus or Suppression Pool...
They both have their good and bad points, but I can't remember many of the BWR good points right now.
Change control rod drives in a PWR? Doesn't happen often, does it? I can't remember seeing it done once. Has it been done?
And turbines being a High Rad area at power? Hell, I've seen BWR turbines that were High Rad Areas when shut down.
But, there is no S/G eddy current testing, tube plugging, tube sleeving, sludge-lancing, chemical cleaning, or total replacement (although you have to replace steam dryers in a BWR sometimes) involving a hole in the containment. No reactor head replacement, no need for a fuel transfer tube or upender, no seal table, no flood-drain-flood-drain pulling and setting the internals twice every refuel...
Actually, I think the topic was Boron. So, I'll steer back that way.
Borax is cheap and plentiful.
When dissolved in water, it makes Boric Acid, which is a weak acid that is easily controlled.
When it absorbs a neutron, it breeds Lithium ions, which forms LiOH and balances the coolant pH without frequent additions. (usually you only add Lithium at startup, which is highly toxic and very expensive)
It makes it really easy to find small leaks from the coolant or cvcs or spent fuel systems. (Just look for the white fluffy spots)
You can run it through an evaporator and recycle it.
It isn't toxic, flammable, or subject to breakdown.
It freakin' works!
