Can Egypt share the
Construction of Power
Reactors as Korea ?
Dr. Yousry Abushady
Former Senior IAEA expert and
Head of SG operation Section,
Member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs,
Visiting Prof. and Supervisor of B.Sc. Project of NED,
Alexandria University
South Korea Experience
• 22 NPPs connected to the grid (18 PWRs + 4 Candu) + 4 UC + 2 Planned
Started strong Nuclear Power Program in the 1970’s with first PWR
connected to the grid in 1977.
• S. Korea cooperated with nuclear companies from US, Canada and France
as main contractors, first with turnkey contracts followed by joint venture
then S.Korea company (KEPCO) became the main national and
international contractor.
• S.Korea introduced changes to the original PWR design and became the
designer for the PWRs types OPR-1000 and the well known type the
APR-1400 type (with 8 units planned and UC including 4 units in the UAE).
• Heavy industry in S.Korea became the main supplier of major components
of NPPs (particularly the Pressure Vessel and the Steam Generators).
• The electricity share of NPPs last twenty years varies from 30 to 50%.
• Although S.Korea does not have a strong old research program or Uranium
enrichment facilities, they have two large scale fuel fabrication plants
(one for PWR fuel assemblies and one for CANDU fuel bundles).
• The strong and rapid industrial development in the country helps strongly
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in building their strong nuclear industrial capabilities.
Cold leg
(In-take)
‫ كم‬2.2
350m
Ulchin 6 NPPs
South Korea
Total used area
1 km square
+ Auxiliaries
Hot leg to cold leg
1.9 km
Hot leg
Can Egypt share the Construction of
Power Reactors as Korea ?
Before the Answer, let us clarify the meaning of Share, as
certainly Egypt can share the conventional civil construction
as excavation of the site, main and auxiliary buildings and
simple other activities. In fact the national share of up to
20%
is expected to be in the coming tender.
But the real question is, can Egypt share the manufacture of
main nuclear and conventional components without
adequate previous experience?
That mean to increase the contract share limit to say 50%
for
the first unit to almost 100% of the fourth unit?
Let us first list the main components of the Nuclear and
Conventional Islands of a the type expected for Egypt,
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Pressurized Water Reactor Design
Nuclear Island
Conventional Island
Nuclear Island Components
(NSSS Nuclear Steam Supply System)
-Components subject to radiation
-Main Reactor building with main components
(reactor Pressure Vessel, steam generators,
primary cooling system, pressurizer, main piping /
valves, nuclear fuel / storage, reactor control
elements rods/soluble boron and direct
connected facilities)
-Control room
-Main ventillation / stack
-Emergency Cooling System (in case of accident)
-Etc..
Conventional Island Components
-Components not subject to elevated radiation
-Components similar to conventional thermal power plant
-Excavation of the site
- Construction of Buildings / roads
-Secondary and third cooling loops
-Cooling Towers
-Offshore and Onshore pipelines (In-take / discharge of last
water cooling loop to sea or river)
-Turbo-Generators
-Condensers
-Feed water heaters (FWHs)
-Pumps
-Stand-by Diesel units
-Piping / valves / tanks (soluble boron, distilled water,
chemicals, diesel fuel, etc.)
-Conventional storage for tools and non-nuclear material
-Etc..
An LWR
Open
Core
Loading
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What is the current reactor project initiated as a
B.Sc. Project at Alexandria University
•The project is first to select the most logistic options of PWR types for Egypt,
to cover standard details of the selected options,
• To perform different types of calculations (neutronics, thermal-hydraulic,
safety, environmental impact during normal operation and at different types
of accidents, and others) to confirm the standard design.
Following this stage, two models of a smaller scale of similar design features
of the selected two PWR types, are designed. Calculations performed mainly
to confirm the criticality of different types of fuel material and enrichment.
Then the most interesting stage of the project is to manufacture the models
as a real small scale power reactor with the help of national industry.
The small reactor model acts as a simulator to a NPP, and if permitted can be
a Subcritical Assembly.
The Goals of this project are: Study, Research, Training
And to Check National Industry Capability for NPP components
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APR-1400 Standard Nuclear
Reactor of S. Korea
Egypt
B.Sc.
Nuclear
Reactor
Project
Reactor Core baffle
for APR-1400 Model
Real manufactured baffle
First trials of the baffle with core grid,
baffleplate and core barrel
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Reactor Model Design
made in Egypt
Reactor Dome
Ring with main Bolts
Inlet Nozzle -Cold Leg
Upper core Barrel
Outlet Nozzle-Hot Leg
Pressure Vessel Layers
(Carbon steel blanket
with SS)
Core Baffle
Lower Core Barrel
Thermal Shield
Fuel Assembly (No U)
Control rods with
Spider, Guide Tube,
Servomotors
Core lower grid
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Can this Model of a small power reactor
operates and generates electricity ?
Only after fulfilling different conditions as:
Complete all components of the Nuclear and Conventional
Islands of the plant
Successful tests performed , e.g. Leakage test, pressure
test, control mechanism test, ..etc…
Positive results of standard QC and QA of the final product
Confirmation of Standard Safety design aspects, with
approval of the design
Availability of fuel material and some other special material
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Now back to the original question;
Can Egypt Share (and later be the main
contractor for) the Construction of Power
Reactors as Korea?
The Answer is
Yes
BUT ?
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