Industrial Training Repport On Nuclear Power
Industrial Training Repport On Nuclear Power
Industrial Training Repport On Nuclear Power
1. INTRODUCTION
Indian figured in the nuclear power map of the world in 1969, when two
boiling water reactors (BWRS) were commissioned at Tarapur (TAPS 1&2) these
reactors were built on the turnkey basis. The main objective of setting these units
was largely to prove the techo-economic viability of nuclear power.
Vv
THE THREE STAGES OF OUR NUCLEAR POWER
PROGRAMME ARE:
# It uses natural uranium as fuel. Use of natural uranium available in India helps
cut heavy investments on enrichments are capital intensive.
The short term goal of the programme was to complement the generation of
electricity at locations away from coalmines. The long-term policy is based on
recycling nuclear fuel & harnessing the available Thorium resources to meet
country’s long- term energy demand and security.
INDIAN NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME
LAYOUT:
The nuclear power stations in India are generally planned as two units
modules, sharing common facilities Such as service building, spent fuel storage
bay& other auxiliaries like heavy water upgrading, waste. Management facilities
etc. separate safety related systems &component are however provided for each
unit. Such an arrangement retains independence for safe operation of each unit
&simultaneously permits optimum use of space, finance & construction time. The
lay out for a typical 220MW station as given fig.1, shows two reactor building,
active service building including spent fuel bay, safety related electrical, control
buildings and the two turbine buildings. Orienting turbine building radial to the
reactor building provides protection from the effect of turbine missiles. Other
safety related building & structures are also located as not to fall in the trajectory
of missiles generated from the turbine. The building and structures have also been
physically separated on the basis of their seismic classification.
PLANT LAYOUT
The over all plant layout is for a twin unit complex. The principal features
of the layout are :-
Control room & control equipment room in this building are so laid
out as to cater for unitized operation.
Emergency power system such as DG, & batteries are provided
separately in safety related structures.
Physical protection scheme to protect against industrial sabotage &
external or internal malevolent ad ions.
The main and auxiliary equipment of layout in nuclear power plant are
described below:-
1. Nuclear Reactor
2. Turbine
3. team generator
4. Calendria
5. Coolent assembly
6. End shield
7. Dump tank
8. Moderator pump & auxilaries
9. PHT pumps
10.Fuel design
11.Fuel handling
12.Moderator system
13.PHT system
14.Reactivity control mechanism
1. NUCLEAR REACTOR
It has been the experience that garter spring spacers between the calandria
tubes and pressure tubes of the earlier design were prone to displacement during
operation and hence a modified design of garter spring capable of ensuring their
freedom from displacement is used from KAPS, Unit#2 onward reactors. The
garter spring used in standardized PHWRs are tight fit on the coolant tubes. In-
situ measurements/studies in KAPS, Kaiga and RAPP-3&4 subsequent to hot
conditioning has indicated this design to be effective in preventing displacement
of garter springs.
REACTOR BUILDING
2. TURBINE
The boiler assemblies contain 10-u shaped shell & tube heat exchangers,
connected in parallel. The hot coolant inlet channel and returning cold water
channel are welded, the shell material is carbon steel & tube material is Monel.
Each heat-exchangers has 195 tubes approximately 42 ft. long 4.5” dia. 049 thou
thick the design pressure on the heavy water side of the boiler is 1350 psig at
5700 f.
4. CALANDRIA
It is the heart of reactor and contains fuel and moderator; it is made of Austenitic
Stainless Steel. It contains 306 horizontal calandria tubes made form Nickel- free-
Zically-2. It also contains a special tube, which has 12 fuel bundles making a total
of 3672 fuel bundles. It also has 6 openings at the top through which pass the
reactivity control mechanism assemblies. In the middle it has piping connection
for moderator outlet & inlet.The entire assembly is supported from calandria vault
roof.
Calandria is a huge cylindrical structure which houses bundles. The
specifications regarding 200 MWe reactors calandria are-
5. COOLANT ASSEMBLY
The primary function of coolant assembly is to house the reactor fuel &to direct
the flow of primary coolant part in to remove the nuclear heat. To the end of 306
tubes provided a low neutron capture containment’s structure, while the end
fitting provides entry and end connections both to the primary coolant system.
6. END SHIELD
These end shields provides shielding to reduce the radiation in the fuelling
machine vaults, the heat due to a closed water circulation removes radiation from
the calandria into shields.
7. DUMP TAK
Below the calandria there is a dump tank a capacity some greater then that
of calandria. The purpose is to provide moderator when dumped through the S-
shaped at 24 psig to support the moderator in the calandria.
9. PHT PUMPS
The PHT pump circulates the coolant (HW) in reactor core to steam gen.
To generate steam. The complete system contain & circulating pumps. 8-sets of
boiler isolating valve of special design, 2 pressurizing pump. A stand by cooling
system, a relief control valve & feed and bleed system.
10. FUEL
The use of natural uranium dioxide fuel with its it s low content of fissile
material (0.72% u-235) precludes the Possibility of a reactivity accident during
fuel handling or storage. Also, in the core there would no significant Increase in
the reactivity, in the ever of any mishaps causing redistribution of the fuel by
lattice distortion or otherwise. The thermal characteristics namely the low thermal
conductivity and high specific heat oh UO2, permit almost all the heat generated
in a fast power transient to be initially absorbed in the fuel. Furthermore, high
melting point of UO2 permits several full power seconds of heat to be safely
absorbed that contained at normal power.
Most of the fission products remain bound in the UO2 matrix and may get
released slowly only at temperatures considerably higher than the normal
operating temperatures. Also on the account of the uranium dioxide being
chemically inert to the water coolant medium, the defected fuel releases limited
amount of radioactivity to the primary coolant system.
The use of 12 short length fuel bundles per channels in a PHWR, rather
than full- length elements covering the whole length of the core, subdivides the
escapable radioactive facility in PHWR has also the singular advantage of
allowing the defected fuel to be replaced by fresh fuel at any time.
Fuel assemblies in the reactor are short length (half meter long) fuel
bundles. Twelve of such bundles are located in each fuel channel. The basic fuel
material is in the form of natural uranium dioxide a pellet, sheathed & sealed in
thin Zircoloy tubes. Welding them to end plates to form fuel bundles assembles
these tubes. Figure 5 shows the 19- element fuel bundle being used in 220 Mwe
PHWRs.
12. FUEL HANDLING
On – power fuelling is a feature of all PHWRs, which have very low excess
reactivity. In this type of reactor, refueling to compensate for fuel depletion& for
over all flux shaping to give optimum power distribution is carried out with help
of 2 fueling machines, which work in conjunction with each other on the opposite
ends of a channel. One nted on a bridge & column assembly. Various mechanisms
provided along tri-directional movement (X, Y&Z Direction) of fueling machine
head and make it mechanisms have been provided which enables clamping of
fueling machine head to the end fitting, opening & closing of the respective seal
plugs, shield plugs & perform various fuelling operations i.e. receiving new fuel
in the magazine from fuel transfer system, sending spent fuel From magazine to
shuttle transfer station, from shuttle transfer station to inspection bay & from
inspection bay to Spent fuel storage bay.
13. MODERATOR SYSTEM
The system, which circulates pressurized coolant through the fuel channels
to remove the heat generated in fuel, referred as Primary Heat Transport System.
The major components of this system are the reactor fuel channels, feeders, two
inlet headers, two reactor outlet headers, four pumps & interconnecting pipe &
valves. The headers steam generators & pumps are located above the reactor and
are arranged in two symmetrical banks at either end of the reactor. The headers
are connected to fuel channels through individual feeder pipes. Figure 6 depicts
schematically the relative layout of major equipment in one bank of the PHT
system. The coolant circulation is mentioned at all times during reactor operation,
shutdown& maintenance.
1. Regulating rods.
2. Shim rods.
3. Adjuster rods for xenon override
4. Natural boron addition in the moderator to compensate for the excess
reactivity in a fresh core & for absence of xenon after a long
shutdown.
1. OBJECTIVE:
The main objective in sitting Nuclear Power Plants from the point of view
of nuclear safety is to be able to construct and operate Nuclear Power Plants safely
& ton provide protection to the public against radiological impact resulting from
accidental releases of radioactive material as well as release of such materials
during normal operation of the plant. Hence the basic criteria for selection of a
site for the location of a nuclear power plant shall be to ensure that the site plant
interaction will not introduce any radiological risk or others of an unacceptable
magnitude.
The region shall be examined for facilities and human activates that may
affect the safety of the proposed Nuclear Power Plant. These facilities & activates
shall be identified and the conditions under which the safety of the plant is likely
to be affected shall be considered in fixing the design basis for man-induced
events. Information concerning the frequency & severity of those important, man-
induced events shall be collected & analyzed for reliability accuracy &
completeness.
In evaluating a site for the radiological impact by the Nuclear Power Plant
on the region for operational states & accidental conditions, appropriate estimates
shall be made of expected or potential releases of radioactive material taking into
account the design of the plant including its safety features. The direct & indirect
pathways, by which radioactive materials released from the Nuclear Power Plant
could reach & affect the people, shall be identified for use in the estimation of the
radiological impact.
Thus, the main points to be considered for sitting Nuclear Power Plants are
as follows:
A. Land requirements.
B. Accessibility.
C. Construction facility.
D. Cooling water.
E. Electrical system and energy resources.
F. Geology.
G. Seismology.
H. Flooding.
I. Natural events.
J. Man-induced events.
K. Population.
L. Radiological impact.
M. Meteorological & air releases.
N. Hydrology & liquid waste.
O. Geo hydrology & solid waste.
P. Land use & Environment impact.
SAFETY DESIGN PRINCIPALS
It has been ensured that systems, components & structures having a bearing
on reactor safety are designed to meet stringent performance & reliability
requirements. These requirements are met by adopting the following design
principles:
SAFETY CLASS III: Includes systems that perform functions, which are
needed to support the safety functions of safety class II & I. Also, it
includes systems & functions required to control the release of
radioactivity from sources located outside the reactor building. Process
water-cooling system include induced draft cooling towers, air supply
system, shield cooling system primary coolant purification ion exchange
columns & filters etc. are included in this category.
SAFETY CLASS IV: Includes those items & systems, which do not fall
within the above classes but are required to limit the discharge of
radioactive material & air borne radioactivity below the prescribed limits.
D2O upgrading, waste management, deturation & service building
ventilation systems are classified as class IV safety systems.
SEISMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Water tretment plant supplies domestic water for drinking purpose & other public
convenience and demineralised (DM) water for RAPS station use.
Water for steam generation should be free from minerals and silica. The
presence of minerals in feed water causes scale formation & foaming in the
boilers. Scale deposition reduce heat tarnsfer & foaming causes entrainment
To avoid such problems feed water for boilers must be free from minerals.
Water is used in reactor shield like reactor end shields, shield tank and
biological shields. Presence of minerals in water used for shield cooling lead
to formation of radioactive products due to activation.
The presence of minerals in the water used for stator water cooling makes it
conductor of electricity if water conductivity is high. The current flow
through the water and water gets heated up which affect its cooling function.
In batteries DM water is used for acid dilution. Presence of minerals in this
water will lead to side reaction and affect the battery performance. DM water
is also used in chilled water cycle. In the following sections we will discuss
the type of impurities in raw water and process of demineralization.
Water is never found in pure state. Water always have impurities, it vary from
source to source. Water is used in process like steam generation, cooling, heating,
as a solvent & for domestic uses. proper treatment is necessary before using water
into a process to make process efficient & trouble free.
1 TURBIDITY AND SEDIMENT Turbidity is suspended insoluble matter,
including coarse particles (sediment) that settle rapidly on standing. Amounts
range from almost zero in most ground waters and some surface supplies to
60,000 ppm in muddy and turbulent river water. Turbidity and sediment are
objectionable for practically all uses.Standard for drinking water is 10 ppm max.
High-grade pulp and paper calls for water containing not more than 5 ppm
turbidity.
2 COLOR Surface waters from swampy areas often are highly colored from
decaying vegetation. Amount of color is found by comparing its intensity with a
standard. Color of 10 units isn't visible in a tumbler, but 20 units (drinking water
maximum) are noticeable. Many processes can't stand more than 5 units. In the
paper industry, color in process water stains the cellulose fibers, affects brightness
or color of white or dyed papers.
4 FLUORIDE Amount rarely tops 4.0 ppm (average is much less than 1.0 ppm).
There's evidence that a small amount prevents tooth decay. United States Public
Health Service sets 1.5 ppm as the maximum for drinking water.
6 SILICA Most natural waters contain silica ranging from 1 to over 100 ppm. It
forms hard scale in high pressure boilers, passes over with steam to form glassy
deposits on turbine blades & cause pitting on turbine blades.
9 IRON Most common soluble iron in ground waters is ferrous bicarbonate Water
is clear and colorless when drawn but, on exposure to air, clouds up and deposits
a yellowish or reddish-brown sediment of ferric hydroxide that stains everything
it contacts. Although majority of iron-bearing waters have less than 5 ppm, as
little as 0.3 ppm can give trouble
The water treatment plant supplies domestic water and demineralised water to
fulfill the station requirement. The water after filtration, decolourisation and
chlorination is sent to domestic water tank to supply within the station. For
demineralisation the treated water from pre treatment plant ( Water supply is
taken after Activated carbon filter & prior to clorine addition) is sent to
demineralisation section. Following is a brief description of demineralisation
process: Water is taken from LP process water supply and fed to the upflow
sedimentation tank where it enters from bottom and flow upwards. A
proportionate dosing of alum is done to coagulate the fine dust. A blanket of
suspended particles formed in upflow sedimentation tank is removed by
periodic water draining. Clear water passes through the layer of suspended
particles and collects in the channels provided at the top of the upflow
sedimentation tank. Water collected in the channels is directed to the gravity
sand filters. In gravity sand filter the water passes through bed of sand and this
removes suspended impurities escaped from upflow sedimentation tank. The
clear water passes through the bed of sand and stored in a clear water well
located just below the gravity sand filter. From clear water well water is
pumped through the activated carbon bed to remove organic impurities like
colour, odour, oil and free chlorine. The water after activated carbon bed is
branched in two streams. one stream is to the demineralisation section of the
water treatment plant the second stream of water is injected with chlorinated
water and goes to the domestic water tank. In demineralisation section water
first passes through the cation bed then to the degasser tower and finally to the
degasser sump. The cation present in water is removed by cation resin.
The carbolic acid formed during the process of cation removal is very weak
acid and it is removed in degasser tower. For removing carbon di-oxide, water
is sprayed from top over porclean rasching ring in a tower and air is blown
from the bottom of the tower this breaks carbolic acid into water and carbon
dioxide.
H2CO3 ----> H2O + CO2
Degased water from degaser sump is pumped through the anion bed and mixed
bed. The anionic impurities is removed in anion bed.
Finally any escaped impurities such as sodium & silica are removed in Mixed
bed which is also known as polishing unit. The water at the outlet of mixed
bed is known as DM Water and has neutral pH (approx. 7.0) and conductivity
below 1 uS.
CONCLUSION:
The practical training at R.A.P.S. has proved to be quite faithful. It proved an
opportunity for encounter with such huge components like 220MW generators,
turbines, transformers and switchyards etc. The architecture of the NPP
(Nuclear Power Plant):
The way various units are linked and the way working of whole plant is
controlled make the students realize that engineering is not just learning the
structure description and working of various machines, but the greater part is of
planning, proper management.
It also provides an opportunity to learn technology used at proper place and
time can save a lot of labor for example almost all the controls are computerized
because in running condition no any person can enter in the reactor building.
But there are few factors that require special mention. Training is not carried out
into its true spirit. It is recommended that there should be some projects
specially meant for students where the presence of authorities should be
ensured. There should be strict monitoring of the performance of students and
system of grading be improved on the basis of the work done.