Designing fault-tolerant real-time computer systems with diversified bus architecture for nuclear power plants

Fault-tolerant real-time computer (FT-RTC) systems are widely used to perform safe operation of nuclear power plants (NPP) and safe shutdown in the event of any untoward situation. Design requirements for such systems need high reliability, availability, computational ability for measurement via sensors, control action via actuators, data communication and human interface via keyboard or display. All these attributes of FT-RTC systems are required to be implemented using best known methods such as redundant system design using diversified bus architecture to avoid common cause failure, fail-safe design to avoid unsafe failure and diagnostic features to validate system operation. In this context, the system designer must select efficient as well as highly reliable diversified bus architecture in order to realize fault-tolerant system design. This paper presents a comparative study between CompactPCI bus and Versa Module Eurocard (VME) bus architecture for designing FT-RTC systems with switch over logic system (SOLS) for NPP.     

核反应堆棒控电源电路仿真与优化

棒控电源是核电站反应堆燃料棒的驱动机构的电源,核电站内的棒控电源柜通常与驱动机构相距较远,通过电缆相连接。为了提高设备的集成度,棒控电源柜中多个直流斩波模块共用一个整流模块,这种设计大大增加了直流母线的长度。直流母线和电缆的分布电感和分布电容,会产生电压过冲、增加开关损耗、产生高频振荡,并对电源控制产生巨大干扰。通过对电源电路的分析,计算直流母线的分布电感和电缆的分布电容,建立棒控电源系统PSIM仿真模型,得到了与样机测试波形近似的仿真结果。然后提出了减小直流母线分布电感的优化方法,经理论推导和仿真验证,可有效改善高频振荡和电压过冲等问题,显著提高电路性能指标。     

An advanced method for determination of loss of coolant accident in nuclear power plants

A major objective in reactor design is to provide the capability to withstand a wide range of postulated events without exceeding specified safety limits. Assessment of the consequence of hypothetical loss of coolant accident (LOCA) in primary circuit is an essential element to address fulfilment of acceptance criteria. In addition, finding the position of rupture, one could manage accident in a right direction. In this work, the transient vibration signal from a pipe rupture is used to determine the position of LOCA. A finite element formulation (Galerkin Method) is implemented to include the effect of fluid-structure interaction (FSI). The coupled equations of fluid motion and pipe displacement are solved. The obtained results are in good agreement with published data.Fast Fourier transform (FFT) provides an alternate way of representing data. Instead of representing vibration signal amplitude as a function of time, the signal is represented by the amount of information, which is contained at different frequencies. The most of frequencies of structure and fluid coupled are presented in the FFT of structural response and through it the dominant frequency of excitation is obtained.Furthermore, the power spectral density (PSD), a measurement of energy at various frequencies is worked out. MATLAB software is used to convert signals from the time to frequency domain and to obtain PSD of signals.     

Design and analysis of a thermal hydraulic integral test facility for Bushehr nuclear power plant

In this paper, design and analysis of a thermal hydraulic integral test facility for Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is presented. The Bushehr Integral Test Facility (BITF) is a test facility designed to model the thermal-hydraulic behaviours of the Bushehr NPP (VVER-1000) pressurized water reactors currently in use in IRAN. These reactors have unique features that differ from other PWR designs. The BITF simulates the major components and systems of the reference NPP, making it possible to examine postulated small and medium break a loss of coolant accidents (LOCAs) and operational transients. The BITF is a volume-scaled model (1:1375). To ensure that gravitational forces remain equal to those in the reference reactor, the major components and systems in the BITF preserve 1:1 elevation equivalence to the reference reactor. The facility has four loops (each one consists of a hot leg, a steam generator, a loop seal, a main circulation pump and a cold leg), a pressurizer connected via two surge line to the hot leg of the loops 2, 4, the emergency-core-cooling system (ECCS) which is provided by an active pump simulating high and low pressure injection systems, and four hydro-accumulators. The report also contains a comparison between experimental data of PSB test facility and RELAP5 calculations of BITF facility under steady state condition of the reactor power 15% from the nominal.     

核电站仪控系统数字化开发仿真测试技术研究

在核电站应用数字化仪表与控制 (I&C)取代模拟 I&C 系统,已成为必然的发展趋势。本文分析了核电站全范围模拟机的蒸汽发生器数学模型,研制开发独立的核电站蒸汽发生器实时仿真系统,并与控制系统形成能够相互作用的闭环系统,用于数字化仪控系统改造提供仿真对象及进一步控制方案研究。在仿真过程中,除了仿真模型之外,其他的硬件和软件由真实的控制系统构成。不但为核电站仪表与控制 (I&C)系统数字化开发提供理论分析,也为今后现场调试工作创造有利条件。     

Flood hazards for nuclear power plants

Flooding hazards for nuclear power plants may be caused by various external geophysical events. In this paper the hydrologic hazards from flash floods, river floods and heavy rain at the plant site are considered. Depending on the mode of analysis, two types of hazard evaluation are identified: (a) design hazard which is the probability of flooding over an expected service period, and (b) operational hazard which deals with real-time forecasting of the probability of flooding of an incoming event. Hazard evaluation techniques using flood frequency analysis can only be used for type (a) design hazard. Evaluation techniques using rainfall-runoff simulation or multi-station correlation can be used for both types of hazard prediction.     

Welding consumables for nuclear power plants

In nuclear power plants, submerged arc welding and covered arc welding have long been employed especially for main weld seams, including the core region of RPV.This paper investigates the mechanical properties of several welding consumables we have developed for industrial plants — that is, welding consumables which lower the phosphorus and copper content of the welded metal, those for plates possessing particularly high tensile strength and those for the narrow gap welding method.Recent data derived from irradiation embrittlement tests show that these welded metals using a non-copper coating are highly effective in minimizing shifts in the transition curve.Welding consumables for A533B C1.2, A543 C1.1 or A508 C1.4 steels have a higher tensile strength than those for A533B C1.1 or A508 C1.3.We have developed submerged arc and covered arc welding consumables to be used with these kinds of steels, and it was confirmed that these consumables possess excellent tensile strength and notch toughness.Our tests also confirmed that the narrow gap SAW and MIG welds are more efficient than the conventional ones. Moreover, the mechanical properties of the welded metals are also excellent.     

The costs of closing nuclear power plants

This paper presents methods for estimating the full costs of closing nuclear power plants. It (1) reviews recent studies of the economic costs of closing the Indian Point and Zion nuclear generating facilities, (2) offers methods for synthesizing the total costs of such closures, and (3) identifies and discusses the uncertainties associated with the major cost drivers. Scenarios describing the distribution of the costs among ratepayers, stockholders, bondholders and taxpayers are then used to illustrate alternative viewpoints on net and total closure costs. A matrix framework for conceptualizing and displaying closure costs is developed and used to illustrate the inadequacies of the cost estimates developed for recent public-policy debates.     

Offshore nuclear power plants

Offshore Power Systems, a joint enterprise of Westinghouse and Tenneco, has been formed to manufacture floating nuclear power plants. Commitments for the first two offshore plants have been received from the Public Service Electric and Gas Company. This paper describes the floating nuclear plant concept with special reference to its advantages and its novel features. The novel features are a consequence of the floating aspect and include the design of the platform, the safety analysis and also the analysis and specification of plant motions due to environmental effects such as wind, waves and earthquakes. Site-related aspects such as the breakwater and mooring systems are discussed. The nuclear power plants will be manufactured in a central facility and this manufacturing concept is described.     

Regulatory practices for nuclear power plants in India

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is the national authority to ensure that the use of ionizing radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to the health of workers and members of the public, and the environment. AERB fulfills its mission by stipulating and enforcing rules and regulations concerned with nuclear and radiological safety. This paper describes the regulatory authorization process of AERB as applicable to nuclear power plants (NPPs) during their construction as well as operating phases. The safety review process during construction is presented as case studies. Some current issues related to operating plants are also described. Two typical examples of safety upgradations made in old generation nuclear plants are given.The regulatory process in India is continuously evolving to cater to the new developments. Some of the recent initiatives taken by AERB in that direction are briefly described. Today AERB faces new challenges like simultaneous review of a large number of new projects of diverse designs, a fast growing nuclear power program and functioning of operating plants in a competitive environment. This paper delineates how AERB is gearing up itself to meet these challenges in an effective manner.     

Inherently safe containments for nuclear power plants

Nuclear energy cannot be avoided in the near future. To regain public acceptance the safety of nuclear power plants has to be increased. Consequently, feasibility studies have been carried out for a containment proposal for future pressurized water reactors which will keep people unharmed even in the case of severe nuclear accidents under the assumption “all that can go wrong, will go wrong”. The main features of the design concept are a core melt cooling and retention device, a passively acting cooling system to remove the decay heat and a double-wall containment which is able to withstand high static and dynamic internal pressures due to hydrogen detonation. Internal structures are designed to resist extreme loadings resulting from various accident scenarios including in-vessel steam explosion and vessel failure under high system pressure.     

Unitized concept for earthquake-resistant nuclear power plants

This paper discusses a unitized concept for an earthquake-resistant nuclear power plant which can withstand major earthquake shaking and fault slips without releasing radioactive material into the atmosphere. A 1000 MWe pressurized water reactor power plant of recent design is adapted to a unitized concept, and cost studies are made for the incremental cost.     

Alexisismon isolation engineering for nuclear power plants

This paper reviews the special requirements regarding efficiency, licensibility (reliability) and cost which should be met to achieve an optimum base isolated nuclear power plant design. It then describes the Alexisismon-2, patented isolation system developed by the author, underlines its original properties (linearity and separation of functions) and presents a conceptual design of its application to a nuclear power plant. The great reliability of the system components is demonstrated. The efficiency of the A-2 is found to be very high: a reduction factor of the base shear induced in the plant higher than 25 is achieved for all examined real accelerograms scaled to 1 g GPA. So the isolation components, the structural system of the plant, its equipment and systems can be easily designed to remain in the elastic range of stresses and strain even for seismic input with GPA higher than 2 g.     

Open-cycle multi-megawatt MHD space nuclear power facility

The results of calculations of the characteristics and development of a scheme and technical make-up of an open-cycle space power facility based on a high-temperature nuclear reactor for a nuclear rocket motor and a 20 MW Faraday MHD generator are presented. A heterogeneous channel-vessel IVG-1 reactor, which heated hydrogen to 3100 K, with the pressure at the exit from the reactor core up to 5 MPa, burn rate 5 kg/sec, and thermal power up to 220 MW is examined. The main parameters of the MHD generator are determined: Cs seed fraction 20%, stopping pressure at the entrance 2 MPa, electric conductivity ≈ 30 S/m, Mach number ≈ 0.7, magnetic induction 6 T, electric power 20 MW, specific energy extraction ∼4 MJ/kg. The construction of the scheme of a MHD facility with zero-moment exhaust of the working body and its main characteristics are presented. Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 105, No. 3, pp. 135–144, September, 2008.     

核电站环境放射性监测

随着国家核电产业的发展,越来越多的核电厂将陆续建设,为了更好的保护环境、保护公众,判断核电厂对环境、对周围居民的影响,环境放射性监测是非常必要的。文章就核电厂环境放射性监测的目的,监测项目,监测方法等方面进行介绍。     

Seismic response prediction for cabinets of nuclear power plants by using impact hammer test

An effective method to predict the seismic response of electrical cabinets of nuclear power plants is developed. This method consists of three steps: (1) identification of the earthquake-equivalent force based on the idealized lumped-mass system of the cabinet, (2) identification of the state-space equation (SSE) model of the system using input-output measurements from impact hammer tests, and (3) seismic response prediction by calculating the output of the identified SSE model under the identified earthquake-equivalent force. A three-dimensional plate model of cabinet structures is presented for the numerical verification of the proposed method. Experimental validation of the proposed method is carried out on a three-story frame which represents the structure of a cabinet. The SSE model of the frame is accurately identified by impact hammer tests with high fitness values over 85% of the actual frame characteristics. Shaking table tests are performed using El Centro, Kobe, and Northridge earthquakes as input motions and the acceleration responses are measured. The responses of the model under the three earthquakes are predicted and then compared with the measured responses. The predicted and measured responses agree well with each other with fitness values of 65-75%. The proposed method is more advantageous over other methods that are based on finite element (FE) model updating since it is free from FE modeling errors. It will be especially effective for cabinet structures in nuclear power plants where conducting shaking table tests may not be feasible. Limitations of the proposed method are also discussed.     

Work on nuclear power plants for space

Conclusions It should be noted that the space problems gave an unprecedented impetus to improving computational methods and design of reactors and shielding and the development of the latest technology. This is not surprising, since the designs required that the mass of the nuclear power plant be determined to within several kilograms. The placement of every kilogram of a satellite in orbit costs several thousands of dollars. The development of nuclear rocket motors and the first thermionic systems "Topaz" in the world was a very important achievement in space nuclear technology. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens in practice, this achievement was far ahead of its time and remains unused. Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 80, No. 5, pp. 357–361, May, 1996.