Conventional islands
from Siemens
Leading the way in profitability and reliability
Reprint from Nuclear Technology International, January/February 2009
Author:
Siemens AG
Answers for energy.
Operational Issues
CONVENTIONAL
ISLANDS FROM SIEMENS
– LEADING THE WAY
IN PROFITABILITY AND
RELIABILITY
Siemens AG
With the company’s expertise and long years of experience in the construction of turnkey nuclear and
coal-fired power plants, Siemens can respond to its customers' requirements like no other provider of
conventional islands for nuclear power plants – from individual components to the complete steam
turbine-generator set to a turnkey conventional island, including all of the instrumentation and control
systems necessary for closed and open-loop control of the complex processes.
PERFECT HARMONISATION OF THE INTERFACES
BETWEEN THE NUCLEAR PLANT AND THE
CONVENTIONAL ISLAND
The outstanding reliability of Siemens steam turbines
proven over many decades, the minimal servicing
and maintenance effort required and the turbines’
cutting edge in efficiency and performance represent the
utmost safety and profitability of power generation plants
made by Siemens.
Siemens has recent experience with turnkey construction of
the conventional island of nuclear plants and is familiar with
all of the interfaces to the nuclear part of the plant.
RENAISSANCE OF NUCLEAR POWER
Some of the best nuclear power plants in the world are not
only equipped with conventional islands from Siemens, but
were built by Siemens as part of turnkey power plant
projects. With a total installed capacity of more than 600 GW,
Siemens Energy is the world's leading supplier of steam
turbine-generator units. Siemens places this long-standing
experience at the disposal of its joint venture with AREVA NP,
in which it holds a 34% stake. Siemens draws upon its
experience as a turnkey constructor of turnkey power plants
to ensure a perfect link-up with the nuclear island
of the plant.
Against the backdrop of a rapidly increasing electricity
demand and concerns about climate change and surging
prices for fossil fuels, the question arises as to how we can
ensure a reliable, and yet environmentally benign and climatecompatible, and, at the same time, affordable power supply
going forward. The answer is that we need all energy resources
and all power generation technologies that are available. This
applies to natural gas and coal, as well as renewable energy
sources. Nuclear power is also an attractive option and is
currently undergoing a worldwide renaissance.
Siemens Energy is currently constructing the conventional
island of the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant (OL3) turnkey,
incorporating what will be the biggest turbine-generator
unit ever built anywhere in the world. In addition,
Siemens is supplying the electrical and instrumentation &
control systems.
SIEMENS – A COMPOTENT AND EXPERIENCED
SUPPLIER OF CONVENTIONAL ISLANDS
In addition to unconditional safety, operators expect above
all reliability and optimum efficiency from their power plants.
This implies that there are three basic requirements of
conventional island suppliers:
1. Perfect harmonisation of the interfaces between the nuclear
island and the conventional island.
2. Reliable and proven technology with maximum efficiencies
thanks to cutting-edge engineering.
3. Service-friendliness coupled with many years of experience.
The experience Siemens is gaining from this project
extends and strengthens our field service know-how of large
steam turbines and generators, and will benefit future
nuclear power plant projects. OL3 is a European Pressurised
Reactor (EPR) nuclear power plant of the Generation 3 plus.
OL3 will not only be the most powerful nuclear power plant
in the world with a rating of approximately 1,600 MW, but is
also expected to set new standards in terms of safety
with a number of new and additional active and
passive safeguards.
In all three points, Siemens sets the global benchmark and
provides customised solutions for conventional islands based
on Siemens' standard design.
90
Operational Issues
Olkiluoto 3: A next-generation European Pressurised Reactor (EPR)-type nuclear power plant. Siemens is supplying the
turnkey conventional island
RELIABLE AND PROVEN TECHNOLOGY WITH MAXIMUM
EFFICIENCIES
tailoring the blade profiles, featuring optimised reaction for
each individual turbine stage.
CUTTING EDGE STEAM TURBINE TECHNOLOGY
The efficiency improvement of the low-pressure turbines was
achieved mainly by enlarging the annulus exit area. The
advanced 3D final-stage blades needed for this have a twisted
profile that varies the reaction along the length of the blade in
line with the rotational velocity, which increases exponentially
along the length of the blade.
The 1,600-MW steam turbine-generator unit for Olkiluoto 3 is
the first of a new rating class. Based on the experience gained
from ongoing upgrade projects and specific design features,
the 6-flow low-pressure turbine is expected to achieve record
efficiency. Moreover, Siemens is the only manufacturer
worldwide to have truly mastered the shrink-fit manufacturing
process. This makes the steam turbine particularly resistant to
stress corrosion cracking. Siemens steam turbines also
incorporate a number of other features to avoid stress corrosion
cracking, including the use of specially selected steel, optimised
forging processes, stress-limiting design and fabrication
procedures, special surface treatment to further reduce tensile
stresses, extensive quality assurance measures and monitoring
of steam purity.
To protect the blades against droplet erosion, their leading
edges are flame- or laser-hardened, while the geometry of the
flow channel is specially designed to keep any droplets forming
away from the rotor blades.
Siemens steam turbines for nuclear power plants have been
setting global standards in terms of output, efficiency, servicefriendliness and reliability for decades. That is why nuclear
power plants equipped with Siemens steam turbines have
consistently occupied top places in worldwide ranking lists for
their power generation for many years. Siemens steam turbines’
availability figures are approximately 98%.
The design of this machine is based on the standardised
and proven turbine-generator developed by Siemens for the
Konvoi series of nuclear power plants in Germany, including
the Isar 2 unit with a rating of approximately 1,500 MW.
Siemens has now advanced this proven technology to an
even higher level of efficiency and output. The efficiency
improvement of the high-pressure turbine was achieved by
using 3DV™ blades, which already have an excellent service
record in conventional steam turbine power plants, and by
SERVICE-FRIENDLINESS COUPLED WITH MANY YEARS OF
EXPERIENCE
The steam turbines built by Siemens Energy have set global
standards not only in output and efficiency, and in reliability and
service-friendliness. The design of Siemens turbines for nuclear
91
Operational Issues
On the right hand side low-pressure turbine for the Olkiluoto 3 project
currently being gained from the construction of the Olkiluoto
3 power plant are the ideal prerequisites for optimum
cooperation in the construction of future nuclear power
plants. The declaration of intent also includes cooperation in
the development of a SWR1000-type boiling water reactor,
to which Siemens will provide the conventional part.
Siemens has decades of experience in building boiling
water reactors.
power plants has earned a proven service record over many
decades. The shrink-fitted wheel disks do not show any signs
of stress corrosion cracking even in millions of cumulative
operating hours.
In recognition of these excellent results, the US Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC) has authorised Siemens
steam turbines for inspection intervals of 100,000 operating
hours. Additionally, inspection of the individual components
can be scheduled with several of the annual refuelling
outages required for a nuclear power plant. Siemens'
competent and experienced service teams carry out these
modular inspections without adding to the downtimes
already scheduled for refuelling and other inspection work
on the nuclear island. These modular, annual turbine
inspections can help eliminate time-consuming, full-scale
overhauls. Both result in significant cost savings for the
plant operator. Not to mention that with service locations in
all regions of the world, Siemens is always close by to assist
customers with their service needs.
Siemens is prepared to put its experience with
conventional islands at the disposal of other suppliers of
nuclear power plants as well. Based on the excellent
operating results achieved by Siemens steam turbines in the
conventional islands of nuclear power plants and on the
experience being gained from the Olkiluoto 3 project,
additional improvements will be incorporated into future
applications of turbine-generator units and turnkey
conventional islands.
SUMMARY
STRATEGIC COOPERATION ARRANGEMENTS
Decades of comprehensive experience as the supplier of the
world's largest steam turbine fleet and as the builder of turnkey
nuclear plants that are among the best in the world, make
Siemens Energy a competent partner for suppliers of nuclear
islands for nuclear power plants. Siemens’ cutting-edge and
proven design of the conventional island can help increase the
reliability of any plant and decrease operating costs. ■
E.ON, AREVA NP and Siemens have signed a declaration
of intent providing for the long-term cooperation in the
construction of additional EPR-type nuclear power plants,
which E.ON wants to build and operate. These long-term
cooperation arrangements and the valuable experience
92
This article appeared in:
Nuclear Technology International
January/February 2009, Pages 90 – 92
Copyright © 2009 by
Nuclear Technology International
This reprint is published by:
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