1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nuclear power plant and an operation method thereof, and particularly, to the nuclear power plant and the operation method thereof preferable for augmenting a power generation capacity.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional newly-constructed nuclear power plant, for example, a power output is augmented by improving either of a composition or a shape configuration of a fuel assembly, or the like, and increasing a main steam flow rate at an outlet of a reactor in order to augment the power output.
A technology of such a conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication Hei. 9-264983.
When applying the conventional technology described above to an existing nuclear power plant, the main steam flow rate increases substantially proportional to an increase of the power output. In order to suppress an increase of the main steam flow rate, a feedwater temperature may be lowered; however, because if an extraction steam for heating the feedwater is simply totally decreased, a thermal efficiency is extensively deteriorated and the power output hardly increases, it is not realistic. Therefore, by the increase of the main steam flow rate is decreased a design margin of pressure vessel internals such as feedwater piping, a feedwater heater, a feedwater pump, and a steam dryer, and almost all instruments such as a main steam pipe, a high pressure turbine, a low pressure turbine, and a condenser. In a power plant using a normal boiling water reactor, the high pressure turbine is one of instruments that have a possibility of firstly losing a design margin due to the increase of the main steam flow rate. Also in a nuclear power plant system other than a boiling water reactor, there is a similar problem with respect to a plant having a comparatively small design margin of the high pressure turbine, and when applying a conventional technology to an existing nuclear power plant, there is needed a large scale improvement and change of the plant instruments.
Consequently, it is strongly requested a nuclear power plant and operation method thereof that enable a power uprate of the plant without extensively changing a configuration of plant instruments with respect to the power uprate of an existing nuclear power plant.
A first invention to achieve the above problem is, when making it one operation cycle a period from an activation of a nuclear power plant to an operation stop thereof for changing fuel; to augment a second reactor thermal power output in a second operation cycle larger than a first reactor thermal power output in a first operation cycle before the second operation cycle; and to make an increase ratio of extraction steam, which is led to a feedwater heater with being extracted from a steam loop, in the second operation cycle for the first operation cycle smaller than that of the second reactor thermal power output for the first reactor thermal power output.
A second invention to achieve the above problem is, when making it one operation cycle a period from an activation of a nuclear power plant to an operation stop thereof for changing fuel; to augment a second reactor thermal power output in a second operation cycle larger than a first reactor thermal power output in a first operation cycle before at least not less than one operation cycle than the second operation cycle; and to make it smaller in the second operation cycle than in the first operation cycle, a ratio of extraction steam specifically from a middle area and outlet of a high pressure turbine (actually between from the outlet of the high pressure turbine to any one of inlets of a moisture separator, a moisture separator and heater, and a moisture separator and reheater) out of extraction steam, which is led to a feedwater heater with being extracted from a steam loop in the first operation cycle, for a main steam flow rate.
In addition, a third invention to achieve the above problem is to augment a second reactor thermal power output in a second operation cycle of a reactor larger than a first reactor thermal power output in a first operation cycle before at least not less than one operation cycle than the second operation cycle and to make it in the second operation cycle smaller than the first operation cycle, a mass flow rate of extraction steam specifically from a middle area and outlet of a high pressure turbine out of extraction steam led to a feedwater heater with being extracted from a steam loop.
In addition, a fourth invention to achieve the above problem is to augment a second reactor thermal power output in a second operation cycle of a reactor larger than a first reactor thermal power output in a first operation cycle before at least not less than one operation cycle than the second operation cycle and to make it small, a temperature rise amount at a high pressure feedwater heater placed at a more downstream side than specifically a main feedwater pump out of a plurality of feedwater heaters.
In addition, a fifth invention to achieve the above problem is to augment a second reactor thermal power output in a second operation cycle of a reactor larger than a first reactor thermal power output in a first operation cycle before at least not less than one operation cycle than the second operation cycle and to stop at least not less than one loop of an extraction steam pipe specifically from a middle area and outlet of a high pressure turbine out of extraction steam led to a feedwater heater with being extracted from a steam loop.
Here will be described an embodiment where the present invention is applied to the boiling water reactor of one of direct-cycle nuclear power plants.
The embodiment of the present invention is shown in
In the operation cycle shown in
When increasing the reactor thermal power output, it is necessary to increase a feedwater flow rate or to widen an enthalpy difference of a coolant at an inlet/outlet of the reactor pressure vessel in order to remove the increment of thermal energy. The conventional power uprate method adopts the former method and increases the feedwater flow rate in proportion to the reactor thermal power output. A heat balance example by the conventional power uprate method is shown in
When there are a plurality of extraction points at any of the middle area and outlet of the high pressure turbine, an extraction point for decreasing an extraction steam amount is most effective if it is selected at the most upstream side. In this case although it is available to place an extraction pipe flow rate adjustment valve 10 for controlling the extraction steam amount and to decrease it, it is available to completely close at least not less than one loop of an extraction pipe. As a closing method, it is available to place a shut-off valve on the way of an extraction pipe or to plug it. When having completely closed the extraction pipes, control loop instruments of the extraction steam amount becomes unnecessary and operation control is also simplified. It depends on a heat balance and a power uprate range whether controlling the extraction steam amount or completely closing the extraction pipes (because when an extraction steam amount per extraction pipe is too much, a feedwater temperature lowers too much in a case of completely closing the extraction pipes, then adjust the extraction steam amount.). In addition, instead of placing a shut-off valve on the way of an extraction pipe, a feedwater flow rate flowing in a feedwater heater may be decreased. The embodiment is shown in
Because when even augmenting the reactor thermal power output and increasing the power generation amount of a nuclear power plant, the embodiment can suppress an increase of a feedwater flow rate and a main steam flow rate, it can suppress an increase of a load burdened on a feedwater pipe, main steam pipe, and pressure vessel internal. Compared to a case of simply totally decreasing the extraction steam amount, the present invention can suppress the lowering of the thermal efficiency and obtain a larger power output. In addition, although in an extensive power uprate by a conventional power uprate method it generally becomes necessary to change the high pressure turbine, a power uprate range performable without a change of the high pressure turbine widens compared to the conventional method. Because if the feedwater temperature lowers, a thermal margin (corresponding to an MCPR (Minimum Critical Power Ratio) in a case of the BWR) of a reactor core increases, there is also a merit in an increase of a design margin compared to the conventional method. Because although in a power uprate a pressure loss and stability of the reactor core deteriorates, a void fraction of the reactor core becomes lower and an absolute value of void coefficient of the reactor core becomes larger in the power uprate method of the present invention, the pressure loss of the reactor core is reduced, and the deterioration of the stability of the reactor core is also suppressed. The decrease of the pressure loss of the reactor core means that an increase of a load by a power uprate on the jet pump and recirculation pump for recirculating a coolant can also be suppressed. Because an increase amount of generation steam in the reactor core also becomes small compared to that of the thermal power output, an influence on a carry under that occurs due to a steam entrainment into recirculation water is also small, and even in an extensive power uprate, it becomes easy to ensure a flow window. In a direct-cycle nuclear power plant other than the boiling water reactor is enabled a power uprate by a similar method.
Table 1 shows a relationship among a reactor thermal power output, main steam flow rate, extraction steam flow rate, and feedwater enthalpy when applying the power uprate method of the embodiment to various output increase amounts. The reactor thermal power output and the main steam flow rate show ratios in the case of a reactor thermal power output 100%, and the extraction steam flow rate shows a ratio for the main steam flow rate in the case of the reactor thermal power output 100%. As seen from Table 1, even when making the reactor thermal power output 110%, the power uprate method of the present invention is widely applicable. A reason why the output is not shown only till 110% in Table 1 is that in the power uprate not less than this a change of the moisture separator and the like becomes necessary; if permitting the change of the moisture separator or being combined with a reactor pressure increase, an introduction of the moisture separator and heater, and the like, the power uprate method of the present invention is more extensively applicable.
Meanwhile, generally in the boiling water reactor a reactor thermal power output is performable till an extent of a reactor thermal power output 102% only by improving measurement accuracy of a feedwater flowmeter and the like, and the present invention has a large effect for a power uprate exceeding the reactor thermal power output 102%. Furthermore, in the power uprate till an extent of a reactor thermal power output 105%, it is generally unnecessary to extensively change system instruments such as a change of the high pressure turbine. Using the present invention, particularly a large effect can be obtained because the change of the high pressure turbine becomes unnecessary even in the power uprate exceeding the reactor thermal power output 105%.
Next will be shown an embodiment applied to a pressurized water reactor (PWR) of one of indirect cycle nuclear power plants of the present invention.
The embodiment of the present invention is shown in
In the operation cycle shown in
When increasing the reactor thermal power output, it is necessary to increase a primary coolant flow rate into the reactor pressure vessel and a secondary feedwater flow rate into the steam generator or enlarging an enthalpy difference of a primary coolant at an inlet/outlet of the reactor pressure vessel and that of a secondary coolant at an inlet/outlet of the steam generator in order to remove the increment of thermal energy. The conventional power uprate method adopts the former method and increases the primary coolant flow rate and the secondary feedwater flow rate in proportion to the reactor thermal power output. A heat balance example by the conventional power uprate method is shown in
When there are a plurality of extraction points at any of the middle area and outlet of the high pressure turbine, an extraction point for decreasing the extraction steam amount is most effective if it is selected at the most upstream side. In this case although it is available to place an extraction pipe flow rate adjustment valve 10 for controlling the extraction steam amount and to decrease it, it is also available to completely close at least not less than one loop of an extraction pipe. As a closing method, it is available to place a shut-off valve on the way of the extraction pipe or to plug it. When having completely closed the extraction pipes, control loop instruments of the extraction steam amount becomes unnecessary and operation control is also simplified. It depends on a heat balance and a power uprate range whether controlling the extraction steam amount or completely closing the extraction pipes (because when an extraction steam amount per extraction pipe is too much, a feedwater temperature lowers too much in a case of completely closing the extraction pipes, then the extraction steam amount is adjusted.). In addition, instead of placing a shut-off valve on the way of an extraction pipe, a feedwater flow rate flowing in a feedwater heater may be decreased. The embodiment is shown in
Because when even augmenting the reactor thermal power output and increasing the power generation amount of a nuclear power plant, the embodiment can suppress the increase of the feedwater flow rate and the main steam flow rate, it can suppress the increase of a load burdened on the feedwater pipe, main steam pipe, and steam generator. It is also enabled to lower the reactor pressure vessel inlet temperature of a primary loop without increasing the primary coolant flow rate, and in this case it is more effective to suppress the increase of a load burdened on the steam generator and a load on the primary coolant pump is also reduced. Furthermore, if the reactor pressure vessel inlet temperature of the primary loop lowers, a thermal margin (corresponding to a DNBR (Departure from Nuclear Boiling Ratio) in the case of the PWR) of a reactor core increases, there is also a merit in an increase of a design margin compared to the conventional method. In an indirect-cycle nuclear power plant other than the pressurized water reactor is enabled a power uprate by a similar method.
Thus, although the embodiments of the present invention are described, the invention is not limited thereto, and various variations are available without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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JP 2004-006198 | Jan 2004 | JP | national |
JP 2004-215095 | Jul 2004 | JP | national |