Archive for Nuclear energy
Is nuclear power flexible, does it have load following capability?
Posted by: | CommentsSome Notes on the Flexibility of Nuclear Units
What is “Flexibility”?
What does “flexibility” mean for a generating technology? I guess that most people would think about the ability to increase or decrease active power output (Megawatts) either on instruction, or automatically, in order to help balance generation and demand on the system. But the issues are “How much?”; “How quickly?”; “With how much notice?”; and “How often?”. There are also other kinds of flexibility.
Of course all nuclear units are able to cycle between full load, no load and full load again since they do that every time they shut down for maintenance or refuelling. But that amount of flexibility may not be of any practical use to the grid operator in controlling the system if it can only be done very slowly and infrequently.
The sorts of megawatt-flexibility that we could consider, each of use in their own way include: Read More→
Load following / flexibility of nuclear power generation
Posted by: | CommentsPeter
You have not looked hard enough for the data, so what you said about nuclear units is misleading.
For example:
Most French and Belgian nuclear units currently can and do provide automatic frequency response (they have to, to meet UCTE rules).
French and some German nuclear units do load following when needed – some German nuclear units now have arrangements to do automatic load following in response to a signal from their grid control centre to assist balancing wind variation.
Details on the load following capability of the new designs is available. For example, both Westinghouse and Areva say their designs will be able to load cycle from 100% to 25% and back on a daily basis. See the following links from my files (I hope they still work):
EPR reactor pre-construction safety report, Subchapter 1.2
[Available free of charge from http://www.epr-reactor.co.uk/ssmod/liblocal/docs/PCSR/Chapter 1 - Introduction and General Description/Sub-Chapter 1.2 - General Description of the Unit.pdf]
AP1000 European Design Control Document (EDCD) , Chapter 1, Section 1.2. Westinghouse Inc
[Available free of charge from https://www.ukap1000application.com/PDFDocs/European DCD EPS-GW-GL-700 Rev 1_Public/EPS-GW-GL-700 Rev 1 Chapter 1/EPS-GW-GL-700-Rev 1 Chapter 1 Section 1-2.pdf]
I have a half-written note on nuclear flexibility which I was minded to post on the Claverton website if /when I finish it, if anyone can tell me how to post it. This would include further information, discussion and references.
Regards
Dave W
Nuclear power output is flexible and therefore capable of load following
Posted by: | CommentsPM notes:
Statistics which to my mind appear to prove EPRs have fair flexibility which I sent to a nuclear-flexibility-sceptic :
Quote from attached July 2008 paper for the government by Sinclair : ONLY RELATES TO NEW NUCLEAR (PWRs; this specific data is being cited for EPRs) – not old graphite-cored UK reactors :
NB Paper reference is BERR Publication URN 08/1021 and it was from the former BERR government department :
Here’s the link, to the 3MB pdf:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46772.pdf
Here is the quote : “The most recent nuclear plant in France (Flamanville 3, in Lower Normandy, EPR standard design currently under construction) will have considerable response capability – being able to maintain its output at 25% and then ramp up to full output at a rate of 2.5% of rated power per minute up to 60% output and then at 5% of rated output per minute up to full rated power. This means that the unit can change its output from 25% to 100% of full rated output in less than 30 minutes.” (entirely personal, entirely subjective comment : that does sound pretty fast to me) Read More→
