On a simplified system for steam production in nuclear power plants with pressurized water reactors

The paper develops the idea of a new system of steam production (Simplified System for Steam Production, SSSP) in nuclear power plants (NPPs) with PWR reactors, which is simplified as compared to the system used in the classical NPP of this type where steam is produced by steam generators (SGs). With the SSSP, expanders are used instead of SGs. The particularities of a NPP with a SSSP are analyzed in comparison to the classical NPP equipped with PWR and BWR reactors, which are used almost exclusively at present to produce electric energy at the industrial level.     

Increasing capacity of a nuclear power plant unit using the hydrogen-fueled feedwater heating system

The article considers a novel approach to a challenging issue of modern power systems related with the future of nuclear power energy as having clear environmental advantages. To solve the problem, a number of alternative ways of using hydrogen fuel as a source of clean energy were proposed, which are aimed to increase the capacity and maneuverability of operating and designed two-circuit nuclear power plants (NPPs) with installed water coolants. In particular, it was suggested to use hydrogen energy to improve the performance of steam generators and capacity of NPP units by heating the feedwater. The revealed economic benefits of the given approach include the effect from replacing environmentally harmful stations based on gas turbine units. A research was made into the impact of pressure in the hydrogen-oxygen combustion chamber on the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. The necessary design parameters to the hydrogen heating system, the gross and net power ratings of the power unit, and the net present value were determined. It is shown that lowering the pressure in the hydrogen-oxygen combustion chamber leads to the increase in the net present value by 24 to 71 million dollars and by 43 to 90 million dollars for the operating and designed NPPs, respectively. Meanwhile, using the proposed approach to the designed NPPs can ensure a higher capacity for the power units, which equals 179 and 163 MW at atmospheric and elevated pressures, respectively. The efficiency of off-peak energy may equal 26.25 to 27.21 and 26.53% to 27.55% for the operating and designed NPPs, respectively. It should be noted that the proposed schematics prove to be economically competitive across the marginal cost of off-peak energy. The accrued net present value equals 106 to 404 million dollars and 170 to 468 million dollars at the elevated pressure, and 130 to 475 million dollars and 213 to 558 million dollars at the atmospheric pressure for the operating and designed NPPs, respectively.     

A new importance assessment method for risk‐informed SSC categorization

This paper proposed a new importance assessment method and new importance measure to perform risk‐informed system, structure, and components (SSCs) categorization task, regarding the dynamic of SSCs' importance measures caused by varied configurations in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The new method consists of 3 importance measures, Fussell Vesely, risk achievement worth, and return to service worth, and an integrated time ratio factor is introduced to get an SSCs ranking, which could handle more realistic configurations in NPP operation. The proposed method has been used in CANDU feedwater system SSCs categorization, supported by RiskA and RiskAngel software, and a different SSCs categorization result compared with NEI method was given. The difference of categorization result derived from 2 methods was discussed in this paper, and the effectiveness has been demonstrated by the NPP's real operation statistics.     

Advanced Control Room Design

Control rooms are a key aspect of the safety and efficiency of nuclear power plants (NPP). Their design and the operational practices they support are key aspects of modernizing existing NPPs and meeting the high safety and availability targets set for advanced plant designs. This paper presents a brief history of NPP control room development, and discusses control room improvements planned for the next generation of NPPs     

Head Loss Coefficient Evaluation Based on CFD Analysis for PWR Downcomer and Lower Plenum

Nuclear vendors and utilities perform numerous simulations and analyses in order to ensure the safe operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs). In general, the simulations are carried out using vendor-specific design codes and best-estimate system analysis codes, most of which were developed based on one-dimensional lumped parameter models. During the past decade, however, computers, parallel computation methods, and three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes have been dramatically enhanced. The use of advanced commercial CFD codes is considered beneficial in the safety analysis and design of NPPs. The present work analyzes the flow distribution in the downcomer and lower plenum of Korean standard nuclear power plants using STAR-CD. The lower plenum geometry of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) is very complicated, as there are many reactor internals, which hinders CFD analysis for real reactor geometry up to now. The present work takes advantage of 3D CAD model so that real geometry of a PWR is used. The results give a clear figure about flow fields in the downcomer and lower plenum of a PWR, which is one of major safety concerns. The calculated pressure drop across the downcomer and lower plenum appears to be in good agreement with the data in engineering calculation. An algorithm that can evaluate the head loss coefficient, which is necessary for thermal-hydraulic system code running, was suggested based on these CFD analysis results.     

Primary frequency regulation in the power system by nuclear power plants based on hydrogen-thermal storage

According to the Technical Requirements for Generating Equipment of Participants in the Wholesale Market of the Unified Energy System (UES) of Russia, from 2016 to participate in the general primary frequency regulation (PFR), the maneuverable characteristics of generating equipment of nuclear power plants with VVER reactors put into operation before 2009 should ensure frequency deviations guaranteed realization of the required primary power for loading up to 2% of the nominal electric power. For this, the current capacity of the reactor installation should be maintained at a level of not more than 98% of the nominal thermal power. The fulfillment of this requirement significantly reduces the installed capacity utilization factor (ICUF) of reactor plant.In addition, at present in the UES of the Russian Federation there is a tendency towards an increase in the deficit of peak and half-peak capacities. The majority of fossil fuel-fired thermal stations are switched to the half-peak mode, which negatively affects their efficiency and reliability. In addition, the rise in price of natural gas makes it more profitable to sell it abroad instead of burning at power plants. On the other hand, an increase in the share of nuclear power plants is observed in the UES, which exacerbates the problems associated with the passage of minima and maxima of the daily load in the power system, due to the economically and technically justified need to load NPPs with maximum CUF.The authors developed an approach to solving this problem by combining NPPs with an environmentally friendly energy source – an autonomous hydrogen power complex (AHPC), which includes heat accumulators and an additional multifunctional steam turbine unit. The developed energy complex will allow energy to be accumulated during hours of minima load in the power system due to the electrolysis of water to produce hydrogen and oxygen, as well as the accumulation of hot water in the storage tanks. The accumulated energy can be used to generate super-nominal electricity to cover the half-peak load zone in the power system. In addition, the presence of a low-power steam turbine installation will ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers of their own needs at the NPP by using the energy of the residual heat from the reactor when the station is completely de-energized.Based on the proposed power complex, a method has been developed to ensure the participation of NPPs in the PFR in an energy system with a constant CUF. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed solution, a methodology for thermodynamic analysis of the power complex based on the combination of NPPs with AHPC was developed. The dependence of the required hydrogen fuel consumption and the efficiency of using off-peak electricity on the temperature of the feed water supplied to the hydrogen-oxygen steam generator from the hot water tanks is constructed.Based on the results obtained, the technical and economic efficiency of the developed power complex is considered. The accumulated net present value was determined depending on off-peak electricity tariffs with three variants of the forecast dynamics of the half-peak electricity tariff, taking into account natural gas savings, reduced investment in NPP safety systems and the economic effect of ensuring the participation of NPPs in the PFR with the plant load at 100%.     

Combining discrete-time Markov processes and probabilistic fracture mechanics in RI-ISI risk estimates

Based on the research conducted in the Finnish SAFIR project, which is a national nuclear energy research program, discrete-time Markov processes and probabilistic fracture mechanics (PFM) methods are further developed and applied in this paper. The purpose of this work is to increase the accuracy of risk estimates used in RI-ISI, and to quantitatively evaluate the effects of different inspection strategies on risk. Piping failure probabilities are obtained by using PFM analyses. PFM has the advantage that its results are not affected by existing in-service inspection (ISI) activities at the nuclear power plants (NPPs), unlike failure probabilities assessed from existing failure data. The PFM results for crack growth are used to construct transition matrices used in a discrete-time Markov process. The application of Markov process allows the examination of effects of inspections on the failure probabilities. Finally, the developed method and results are showcased by applying them to a selected piping system in an existing Finnish NPP.     

Comprehensive assessment of system efficiency and competitiveness of nuclear power plants in combination with hydrogen complex

The strategy provides construction and commissioning of a number of new nuclear power units for the development of nuclear energy in Russia. The share of nuclear power plants increase in the energy systems of Russia is predicted from 19 to 22% in the future, up to 2050. Nuclear power plants planned to involve in the primary frequency control at the same time. All these circumstances exacerbate the problem of providing nuclear power plants with a basic electrical load in the night period, including during the daily period. The energy strategy of Russia provides for the production of hydrogen by low-carbon methods, one of which is water electrolysis using nuclear power. Hydrogen production is included in the development strategy of the at operating Russian NPPs. Hydrogen production planned at the Kola NPP by water electrolysis. Thus, the article provides a rationale for the effectiveness of combining nuclear power plants with a hydrogen complex based on the production of hydrogen by electrolysis of water. The effectiveness substantiated of the new principle of combination with overheating of the working fluid steam turbine cycle of the NPP taking into account the safety of handling hydrogen. A new system proposed for the combustion of hydrogen in oxygen, which makes it possible to overheat the working fluid of the NPP steam turbine cycle with undissociated steam, which significantly reduces the content of unreacted hydrogen in the working fluid flow. In addition, a system was developed and proposed for removing unreacted hydrogen and oxygen from the steam phase of the working fluid of the NPP steam turbine cycle. Thermodynamic and technical-economic new estimates are presented and analyzed of the efficiency of combining NPP with a hydrogen complex.     

Quantitative and qualitative analysis of safety parameters in nuclear power plants

After the Fukushima accident, it is necessary to develop some technique that can monitor the progression of severe accidents in nuclear power plants (NPPs). It is therefore very important for an operator to monitor safety related parameters for the diagnosis of severe accidents and to manage it properly. So to monitor and to check the availability of plant instrumentation during severe accidents, this paper presents quantitative and qualitative analyses of safety parameters by using online risk monitor system (ORMS). An ORMS considers the increasing potential for failure for a working component due to aging, which appears in the form of component's performance degradation. ORMS therefore requires a continuous feedback regarding performance and failure probabilities of components, which directly or indirectly contributes to the failure of a system. ORMS has been designed to automatically update the online risk models and reliability parameters of equipment. A case study of emergency diesel generator (EDG) of Daya Bay NPP has been performed, and operational failure rate and demand failure probability of EDG have been calculated with the help of ORMS. The results of ORMS are well matched with data obtained from Daya Bay NPP. ORMS can support in decision‐making process for operators and managers at NPPs. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

美国核电厂抗震主系统分析要求的近期变化

近期美国核管会NRC颁布的标准审查大纲《Standard Review Plan》Rev.3(2007)版已通过我国核安全审评中心翻译出版,表明我国核安全局将按最严的国际标准执行核工程的安全审查。通过对比美国核管会标准审查大纲SRP 3.7.2节1989版、2007版以及最新2013版的抗震主系统主要内容,结合以往核电工程抗震分析的实践经验,按其所列验收准则各条分别作出专业性的讲解与点评。研究表明:SRP 2013版在概念上更清晰,并在可操作性上更加完善,研究成果对理解核电厂抗震主系统分析要求具有很好的参考价值。     

Safety assessment for the passive system of the nuclear power plants (NPPs) using safety margin estimation

The probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) for gas-cooled nuclear power plants has been investigated where the operational data are deficient, because there is not any commercial gas-cooled nuclear power plant. Therefore, it is necessary to use the statistical data for the basic event constructions. Several estimations for the safety margin are introduced for the quantification of the failure frequency in the basic event, which is made by the concept of the impact and affordability. Trend of probability of failure (TPF) and fuzzy converter (FC) are introduced using the safety margin, which shows the simplified and easy configurations for the event characteristics. The mass flow rate in the natural circulation is studied for the modeling. The potential energy in the gravity, the temperature and pressure in the heat conduction, and the heat transfer rate in the internal stored energy are also investigated. The values in the probability set are compared with those of the fuzzy set modeling. Non-linearity of the safety margin is expressed by the fuzziness of the membership function. This artificial intelligence analysis of the fuzzy set could enhance the reliability of the system comparing to the probabilistic analysis.     

A proper spent nuclear fuel management strategy could enhance the continuity of nuclear power in the Spanish energy mix

This article presents two economic analyses performed with the Mariño model, which was specially designed to analyse the costs of different spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management strategies in the real Spanish context. These analyses are: (a) a Monte Carlo study for those strategies and (b) the effects of a longer operational lifetime for the Spanish nuclear power plants (NPPs) on the costs of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management. For the first analysis, a triangular distribution for the different unitary costs was assumed and the data and assumptions from numerous studies were used to obtain the values required for the distribution. The second analysis was performed for the current official shutdown dates for the NPPs, and the results were compared to other operational lifetime scenarios. The main assumption for these scenarios was a progressive shutdown of the reactors, in order to avoid numerous shutdowns in a few years. These scenarios were proposed for 40 to 60 years of mean operational lifetime of the reactors. The results show that, for all scenarios analysed, the additional electricity production due to longer operational lifetimes compensate the extra costs caused by the larger amount of SNF to be managed. Additionally, for the current SNF management strategy, a progressive shutdown at 40 years of mean operational lifetime has shown to entail lower costs than the official shutdown scenario. However, a strategy without a centralised interim storage facility would be the most economically favourable one for all the scenarios analysed.     

Predictive economic efficiency of combining nuclear power plants with autonomous hydrogen power complex

Currently, the United Energy System (UEC) of Russia is trending in the deficit of peak and half-peak capacity with a simultaneous increase in the number of nuclear power plants (NPPs), which will require the participation of the NPPs in the variable part of the schedule of electrical loads.In addition to the economic need to maintain the high-level utilization rate, there are technological limitations of maneuverability for NPPs.The authors developed an approach to solving this problem by combining with an environmentally friendly energy source – an autonomous hydrogen power complex, which includes thermal batteries and an additional multifunctional low-power steam turbine installation.The developed energy complex can also provide reliable reservation of electricity supply to consumers of their own needs of the nuclear power plant in case of complete blackout of the plant.The feasibility study of the main equipment of the autonomous hydrogen power complex, which is necessary for combining with a two-unit nuclear power plant with WWER-1000, has been evaluated.On the basis of the assessment of the inflation indicators of the Russian economy over the past 11 years, three variants of fuel cost dynamics and tariff rates for electricity (capacity) as well as the size of operating costs, including depreciation deductions to the main equipment, are defined, taking into account the current principles of price formation.The result is a value for accumulated net present value, depending on the ratio of the cost of the half-peak and off-peak electricity at different inflation rates.The positive economic effect of reducing the risk of the core damage accident, replacing the construction of the gas turbine unit as a maneuverable source of electricity in the power grid and increasing the income of the Russian federal budget from the savings of natural gas has been taken into account.The greatest economic efficiency is achieved with maximum projected inflation, which is associated with the maximum rate of discounting and the high rate of growth of electricity tariffs.Reducing the risk of the core damage accident ensures that the proposed approach is competitive in all the inflation options under consideration and the ratio of electricity tariffs.     

核电厂生物辐射影响评价参数研究

对ERICA程序及其计算参数进行了简要介绍,推荐了水生生态系统和陆生生态系统的不同生态系统类型以及滨海厂址和内陆厂址的不同厂址类型中计算参数的选取方法,研究成果对后续核电厂的生物辐射影响评价工作具有借鉴意义。     

Field and CFD Study of Fuel Distribution in Pulverized Fuel(PF)Boilers

The article presents both field and CFD results of a new concept of a mechanical pulverized fuel(PF)distributor.The goal of the study was to improve the pulverized coal-air mixture separation in PF boilers where the fuel preparation and feeding system was operated in a combined coal and biomass grinding conditions.The numerical analysis was preceded after a field study,where measurements were carried out in a pulverized coal-fired(PC)boiler equipped with a technology of NOx reduction by means of primary methods.Proper distribution of a pulverized coal-air mixture to the individual burners is one of the fundamental tasks of the combustion systems where the primary methods are implemented to control the NOx emission.Problems maintaining the proper distribution of fuel to the burners related primarily to the boilers where the coal and biomass co-grinding is used.Changing the load of coal-mills and fuel type at the same time(i.e.,different types of biomass)could result in less effective separation of pulverized fuel particles in PF distributors.Selection of an appropriate construction of a distributor will allow the better control of the combustion process which results in decreased NOx emission while keeping the proper combustion efficiency,i.e.,less unburned carbon(UBC)in the fly ash.The results of the field measurements made it possible to create a CFD distribution base model,which was used for the analysis of a new splitter construction to be used in a PF distributor.Subsequent analysis of the numerical splitter enables precise analysis of its construction,including the efficiency of separation and the prediction of conveying of the coal and biomass particles.     

Development of a web-based aging monitoring system for an integrity evaluation of the major components in a nuclear power plant

Structural and mechanical components in a nuclear power plant are designed to operate for its entire service life. Recently, a number of nuclear power plants are being operated beyond their design life to produce more electricity without shutting down. The critical issue in extending a lifetime is to maintain the level of safety during the extended operation period while satisfying the international regulatory standards. However, only a small portion of these components are of great importance for a significant aging degradation which would deeply affect the long-term safety and reliability of the related facilities. Therefore, it is beneficial to build a monitoring system to measure an aging status. While a number of integrity evaluation systems have been developed for NPPs, a real-time aging monitoring system has not been proposed yet 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. This paper proposes an expert system for the integrity evaluation of nuclear power plants based on a Web-based Reality Environment (WRE). The proposed system provides the integrity assessment for the major mechanical components of a nuclear power plant under concurrent working environments. In the WRE, it is possible for users to understand a mechanical system such as its size, geometry, coupling condition etc. In conclusion, it is anticipated that the proposed system can be used for a more efficient integrity evaluation of the major components subjected to an aging degradation.     

核聚变发电厂常规岛主厂房土建设计研究

  目的  核聚变发电是未来核能利用的一种方式。为了研究其常规岛土建设计最优方案，需要结合过往常规火电，以及其他核电常规岛的设计技术进行探讨。  方法  通过从主厂房结构体系、汽机房屋盖结构、汽轮发电机基座选型以及主厂房防火设计四个方面开展方案对比分析。  结果  提出了核聚变发电厂常规岛相应的土建设计方案和设计建议。  结论  成果可以为类似工程项目提供参考。     

第十一届中国核电技术发展高峰论坛会议综述

为促进核电产业安全高效发展,加快落实中国核电“走出去”战略,由上海市核电办公室和中国能源建设集团广东省电力设计研究院有限公司(简称中国能建广东院)联合主办、中国核能行业协会和中国核工业勘测设计协会协办,诺本集团承办的第十一届中国核电技术发展高峰论坛于2016年8月26日在中国能建广东院召开。本次论坛高屋建瓴地探讨了我国核电发展的实践与展望,强调了加强安全监管对助力核电发展的重要性,探索了加强协同创新和技术创新对推动核电产业实现新突破的重要作用,介绍了我国在建的多种堆型核电厂的最新技术特点及工程建设的进展情况,包括具有自主知识产权的三代技术“华龙一号”、我国先进快堆技术、国家科技重大专项高温气冷堆示范工程等,同时就核电装备智能制造应用及通过技术创新提高电站的经济效率等进行了深入地探讨,本次论坛对推动中国核电技术的发展具有重要的意义。     

Artificial intelligence for the modeling and control of combustion processes: a review

Artificial intelligence (AI) systems are widely accepted as a technology offering an alternative way to tackle complex and ill-defined problems. They can learn from examples, are fault tolerant in the sense that they are able to handle noisy and incomplete data, are able to deal with non-linear problems, and once trained can perform prediction and generalization at high speed. They have been used in diverse applications in control, robotics, pattern recognition, forecasting, medicine, power systems, manufacturing, optimization, signal processing, and social/psychological sciences. They are particularly useful in system modeling such as in implementing complex mappings and system identification. AI systems comprise areas like, expert systems, artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, fuzzy logic and various hybrid systems, which combine two or more techniques. The major objective of this paper is to illustrate how AI techniques might play an important role in modeling and prediction of the performance and control of combustion process. The paper outlines an understanding of how AI systems operate by way of presenting a number of problems in the different disciplines of combustion engineering. The various applications of AI are presented in a thematic rather than a chronological or any other order. Problems presented include two main areas: combustion systems and internal combustion (IC) engines. Combustion systems include boilers, furnaces and incinerators modeling and emissions prediction, whereas, IC engines include diesel and spark ignition engines and gas engines modeling and control. Results presented in this paper, are testimony to the potential of AI as a design tool in many areas of combustion engineering.