scholarly journals Analyses of the Control System Strategies and Methodology for Part Power Control of the Simple and Intercooled Recuperated Brayton Helium Gas Turbine Cycles for Generation IV Nuclear Power Plants

Author(s):  
A. Gad-Briggs ◽  
P. Pilidis ◽  
T. Nikolaidis

An important requirement for Generation IV Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) design is the control system, which enables part power operability. The choices of control system methods must ensure variation of load without severe drawbacks on cycle performance. The objective of this study is to assess the control of the NPP under part power operations. The cycles of interest are the simple cycle recuperated (SCR) and the intercooled cycle recuperated (ICR). Control strategies are proposed for NPPs but the focus is on the strategies that result in part power operation using the inventory control method. First, results explaining the performance and load limiting factors of the inventory control method are documented; subsequently, the transient part power performances are also documented. The load versus efficiency curves were also derived from varying the load to understand the efficiency penalties. This is carried out using a modeling and performance simulation tool designed for this study. Results show that the ICR takes ∼102% longer than the SCR to reduce the load to 50% in design point (DP) performance conditions for similar valve flows, which correlates with the volumetric increase for the ICR inventory tank. The efficiency penalties are comparable for both cycles at 50% part power, whereby a 22% drop in cycle efficiency was observed and indicates limiting time at very low part power. The analyses intend to aid the development of cycles for Generation IV NPPs specifically gas cooled fast reactors (GFRs) and very high-temperature reactors (VHTRs), where helium is the coolant.

2017 ◽  
Vol 101 ◽  
pp. 260-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoxu Wang ◽  
Jie Wu ◽  
Bifan Zeng ◽  
Zhibin Xu ◽  
Wanqiang Wu ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 2113 (1) ◽  
pp. 012030
Author(s):  
Jing Li ◽  
Yanyang Liu ◽  
Xianguo Qing ◽  
Kai Xiao ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract The nuclear reactor control system plays a crucial role in the operation of nuclear power plants. The coordinated control of power control and steam generator level control has become one of the most important control problems in these systems. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model of the coordinated control system, and then transform it into a reinforcement learning model and develop a deep reinforcement learning control algorithm so-called DDPG algorithm to solve the problem. Through simulation experiments, our proposed algorithm has shown an extremely remarkable control performance.


2012 ◽  
Vol 155-156 ◽  
pp. 653-657
Author(s):  
Yu Lin Dong ◽  
Xiao Ming Wang

Elevator group control system (EGCS) is a complex optimization system, which has the characteristics of multi-objective, uncertain, stochastic random decision-making and nonlinear. It is hard to describe the elevator group control system in exact mathematic model and to increase the capability of the system with traditional control method. In this paper, we aim at the characters of elevator group control system and intelligent control, introduce the system's control fashion and performance evaluate guidelines and propose an elevator group control scheduling algorithm based on fuzzy neural network.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Nick Shykinov ◽  
Robert Rulko ◽  
Dariusz Mroz

Abstract In the context of energy demands by growing economies, climate changes, fossil fuel pricing volatility, and improved safety and performance of nuclear power plants, many countries express interest in expanding or acquiring nuclear power capacity. In the light of the increased interest in expanding nuclear power the supply chain for nuclear power projects has received more attention in recent years. The importance of the advanced planning of procurement and manufacturing of components of nuclear facilities is critical for these projects. Many of these components are often referred to as long-lead items. They may be equipment, products and systems that are identified to have a delivery time long enough to affect directly the overall timing of a project. In order to avoid negatively affecting the project schedule, these items may need to be sourced out or manufactured years before the beginning of the project. For nuclear facilities, long-lead items include physical components such as large pressure vessels, instrumentation and controls. They may also mean programs and management systems important to the safety of the facility. Authorized nuclear operator training, site evaluation programs, and procurement are some of the examples. The nuclear power industry must often meet very demanding construction and commissioning timelines, and proper advanced planning of the long-lead items helps manage risks to project completion time. For nuclear components there are regulatory and licensing considerations that need to be considered. A national nuclear regulator must be involved early to ensure the components will meet the national legal regulatory requirements. This paper will discuss timing considerations to address the regulatory compliance of nuclear long-lead items.


Author(s):  
Hoang Nam Phan ◽  
Fabrizio Paolacci

Liquid storage tanks are vital lifeline structures and have been widely used in industries and nuclear power plants. In performance-based earthquake engineering, the assessment of probabilistic seismic risk of structural components at a site is significantly affected by the choice of ground motion intensity measures (IMs). However, at present there is no specific widely accepted procedure to evaluate the efficiency of IMs used in assessing the seismic performance of steel storage tanks. The study presented herein concerns the probabilistic seismic analysis of anchored above-ground steel storage tanks subjected to several sets of ground motion records. The engineering demand parameters for the analysis are the compressive meridional stress in the tank wall and the sloshing wave height of the liquid free surface. The efficiency and sufficiency of each alternative IM are quantified by results of time history analyses for the structural response and a proper regression analysis. According to the comparative study results, this paper proposes the most efficient and sufficient IMs with respect to the above demand parameters for a portfolio of anchored steel storage tanks.


Author(s):  
A. Gad-Briggs ◽  
P. Pilidis ◽  
T. Nikolaidis

The potential for high turbine entry temperature (TETs) turbines for nuclear power plants (NPPs) requires improved materials and sophisticated cooling. Cooling is critical for maintaining mechanical integrity of the turbine for temperatures >1000 °C. Increasing TET is one of the solutions for improving efficiency after cycle optimum pressure ratios have been achieved but cooling as a percentage of mass flow will have to increase, resulting in cycle efficiency penalties. To limit this effect, it is necessary to know the maximum allowable blade metal temperature to ensure that the minimum cooling fraction is used. The main objective of this study is to analyze the thermal efficiencies of four cycles in the 300–700 MW class for generation IV NPPs, using two different turbines with optimum cooling for TETs between 950 and 1200 °C. The cycles analyzed are simple cycle (SC), simple cycle recuperated (SCR), intercooled cycle (IC), and intercooled cycle recuperated (ICR). Although results showed that deterioration of cycle performance is lower when using improved turbine material, the justification to use optimum cooling improves the cycle significantly when a recuperator is used. Furthermore, optimized cooling flow and the introduction of an intercooler improve cycle efficiency by >3%, which is >1% more than previous studies. Finally, the study highlights the potential of cycle performance beyond 1200 °C for IC. This is based on the IC showing the least performance deterioration. The analyses intend to aid development of cycles for deployment in gas-cooled fast reactors (GFRs) and very high-temperature reactors (VHTRs).


Author(s):  
H. Shah ◽  
R. Latorre ◽  
G. Raspopin ◽  
J. Sparrow

The United States Department of Energy, through the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), provides management and technical support for the International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP) to improve the safety level of VVER-1000 nuclear power plants in Central and Eastern Europe.


1983 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 571-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjorie B. Bauman ◽  
Richard F. Pain ◽  
Harold P. Van Cott ◽  
Margery K. Davidson

This paper describes the assessment of the work structure of ten nuclear power plants. Work structure factors are those factors that relate to the way in which work at all levels in a plant is organized, staffed, managed, rewarded, and perceived by plant personnel. Questionnaires given to a cross-section of personnel at the plants were the primary source of data collection. Structured “critical incident” interviews were conducted to verify the questionnaire results. The study revealed that a variety of work structure factor problem areas do exist in nuclear power plants. The paper highlights a prioritized set of candidate research themes to be considered in EPRI's Work Structure and Performance Research Program.


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