Case Study: Temelin Nuclear Power Plant
Summary: Reduce the failure of various mechanical devices such as valves in the steam line.
Customer: Temelin Nuclear Power Plant
Czech Republic
Application(s): Water [Heating & Cooling]
Industry(s): Water Power Generation
Notes
A Stainless-Steel MagnomTM Module has improved system reliability in a Westinghouse managed nuclear power station in the Czech Republic.
The unit was introduced to reduce the failure of various mechanical devices such as valves in the steam line.
The MagnomTM has been installed in the Steam Generator Blow Down sample line at steam generator number 4 - Temelin Nuclear Power Plant.
The parameters of the water flow in this line are:
Flow: 12 to 20 l/min
Flow Temperature: About 100 deg. C
Flow Pressure: 6.4 to 6.8 MPa
The core shown here demonstrates clearly that the MagnomTM has removed a large quantity of debris from the system. Prior to the installation of the Magnom™ this debris would have continued to circulate (much of it less than a micron) through the conventional filtration. This hard and sharp particulate would have been responsible for a chain reaction of wear that would cause erosive wear on all valves and static parts of the system.
The engineer manager of this section of the plant believes that the MagnomTM has substantially improved the operation of the specified sample line, this is common sense in view of the state of the contaminated core shown on the previous page!
General information on this application:
Many power plants have boilers (steam generators) to convert water to steam. The steam passes through the steam turbine that drives the electrical generator, then is condensed back to water and returned to the steam generator to be converted to steam again. The water has high quality chemistry, but inevitably builds up dissolved solids during the process.
If the level of total dissolved solids (TDS) exceeds the recommended level, sludge and scale can be precipitated in the steam generator. Also water foaming can occur in the steam generator and water can carry over into the process
To keep the TDS within limits, part of the water is “blown down” (drained) from the steam generator (periodically in some plant, continuously in others) and the water is made-up with high quality water.
It’s an area of great interest to power plant owners and operators on the grounds of efficiency (energy is wasted by the blow down process, but the steam generator then operates more efficiently) and safety (particularly in nuclear plants, where the whole steam generation process is strictly controlled)