Temelín Nuclear Power Station
Encyclopedia
Temelín Nuclear Power Station is located near Temelín
, a small village in the Czech Republic
. Temelín NPP is owned by ČEZ
Group, which employs 1000 workers at this site. The adjacent castle Vysoký Hrádek serves as an information centre.
Planning began in the late 1970s and the final project was submitted in 1985. Construction of four operating units began in 1987. The project was expected to be completed in 1991 with estimated building costs of 35 billion Kčs
. Six villages were demolished to make way for the power station.
After the Velvet revolution
in 1990 the Czechoslovakian government decided to cease construction of the third and fourth reactors. Work continued on the first two reactors; in the 1990s alterations to the original design were made by Westinghouse
in conjunction with SUJB and the IAEA to bring reliability and safety levels into conformance with Western European standards. The standards audit was carried out by Halliburton NUS
. As part of the alterations information and control systems were added, electrical modifications carried out, and cabling, reactor core and fuel elements were replaced. In 1993 the Czech government decided to complete the plant in the face of delays and cost overrun
s, with expected completion at the time estimated for 1997. In 1994 an opinion poll
reported that 68% of Czech citizens were in favor of nuclear power development.
In 1998 construction still was not completed and costs reached 71 CZK billion. The Czech government again reconsidered completion of the plant. In 1999 the decision was made to continue, hoping for an expected completion in 2000 with a maximum cost of 98.6 CZK billion. The project was controversial; national and international (mainly Austrian) opposition was stronger than in the early 1990s. In a 1999 opinion poll 47% of Czech citizens were in favor and 53% against nuclear power development.
As early as 1993 there were local and international protests against the plant's construction. Large grassroots civil disobedience actions took place in 1996 and 1997. These were organized by the so-called Clean Energy Brigades
. In September and October 2000, Austrian anti-nuclear
protesters demonstrated against the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant and at one stage temporarily blocked all 26 border crossings between Austria and the Czech Republic. The first reactor was finally commissioned in 2000 and the second in 2002.
Most information were taken from CEZ website
Others from leaflet "Energy from South Bohemia" by CEZ Group.
The reactor contains 163 fuel assemblies.
A single assembly has the shape of ~4.5m long hexagonal and inside are 312 fuel rods and 61 control rods.
Inside the rods is the fuel in the shape of small cylinders. So-called pallets.
Fuel enrichment: max. 4% (average 3.5%) of 235U (fissile isotope)
Fuel load UO2: 92t (The reactor splits about 3kg of uranium every day)
Fuel Replacement cycle: 4 years (every year 1/4 is changed)
vessel height: ~11m, outside diameter: ~4.5m, wall thickness: 193mm
The vessel is designed for up to 17.6MPa at 350°C
The vessel is made of high quality, low-alloy chrome-nickel-molybdenum-vanadium steel
For the reactor to produce thermal output 1W, 30 billion fissions of uranium-235 must take place every second.
Quantity of primary circuit coolant: 337 m3
Operating pressure: 15.7MPa
Coolant inlet temperature: approx. 290°C (554F)
Coolant outlet temperature: approx. 320°C (608F)
Coolant flow through reactor: 23.5 m3/s
Steam delivered per one generator: 1470 t/hour
Steam outlet pressure: 6.3MPa
Steam outlet temperature: 278.5 °C (533.3F)
Pure water is evaporated in cooling tower (~0.3m3/s). The water needs to be constantly refilled.
Inside diameter of cylindrical section: 45m
Wall thickness: 1.2m
Thickness of steel lining: 8mm
Number of steam turbine sections: 1 high preasure + 3 low preasure
Speed: 3000 rpm
Voltage on alternator's terminal: 24KV
Alternator cooling: hydrogen - water
In contrast other modern nuclear power plants like the Korean OPR-1000, the Canadian Candu 6
or the German Konvoi show operating factors of about 90 %.
was a member of the coalition government. However, in July 2008 ČEZ requested the Ministry of the Environment conduct an environmental impact assessment
for two additional reactors. In 2009 regional approval was granted for the new build. ČEZ plans to begin construction in 2013, with completion of the first block in 2020.
In August 2009, ČEZ sought bids for two pressurized water reactor
s (PWRs). As of 2010 the companies bidding for the project are Areva
, Westinghouse Electric Company
, and a consortium
of ŠKODA JS, Atomstroyexport
and Gidropress. The winner of the tender
was planned to be made public in 2011.
Shortly after the Fukushima nuclear accidents
, Prime Minister Petr Nečas
announced that the construction of new reactors will continue according to the original plans, but with the tender selection delayed to 2013.
Temelín
Temelín is a village in South Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It is located at around .Temelín Nuclear Power Station, one of the two Czech nuclear power plants, is located outside the village.- External links :...
, a small village in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Temelín NPP is owned by ČEZ
CEZ
CEZ stands for:* one of Falconbridge Ltd.'s refineries* a Czech news channel* IATA airport code for Cortez Municipal Airport* CEZ Group, a Czech energy company...
Group, which employs 1000 workers at this site. The adjacent castle Vysoký Hrádek serves as an information centre.
History
KCS
KCS may refer to:* Kansas City Southern Railway* Kanawha County Schools* Kingsford Community School, an East London secondary school.* Keyboard Controller Style, an interface often used between Baseboard Management Controller and payload processor in the Intelligent Platform Management Interface ...
. Six villages were demolished to make way for the power station.
After the Velvet revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1990 the Czechoslovakian government decided to cease construction of the third and fourth reactors. Work continued on the first two reactors; in the 1990s alterations to the original design were made by Westinghouse
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
in conjunction with SUJB and the IAEA to bring reliability and safety levels into conformance with Western European standards. The standards audit was carried out by Halliburton NUS
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
. As part of the alterations information and control systems were added, electrical modifications carried out, and cabling, reactor core and fuel elements were replaced. In 1993 the Czech government decided to complete the plant in the face of delays and cost overrun
Cost overrun
A cost overrun, also known as a cost increase or budget overrun, is an unexpected cost incurred in excess of a budgeted amount due to an under-estimation of the actual cost during budgeting...
s, with expected completion at the time estimated for 1997. In 1994 an opinion poll
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
reported that 68% of Czech citizens were in favor of nuclear power development.
In 1998 construction still was not completed and costs reached 71 CZK billion. The Czech government again reconsidered completion of the plant. In 1999 the decision was made to continue, hoping for an expected completion in 2000 with a maximum cost of 98.6 CZK billion. The project was controversial; national and international (mainly Austrian) opposition was stronger than in the early 1990s. In a 1999 opinion poll 47% of Czech citizens were in favor and 53% against nuclear power development.
As early as 1993 there were local and international protests against the plant's construction. Large grassroots civil disobedience actions took place in 1996 and 1997. These were organized by the so-called Clean Energy Brigades
Paxus Calta
Paxus Calta, born Earl Schuyler Flansburgh, is a Czech born, American political activist, communitarian and writer. He has been involved with the anti-nuclear movement and is a member of the Twin Oaks Community.-Biography:...
. In September and October 2000, Austrian anti-nuclear
Anti-nuclear
The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes the use of nuclear technologies. Many direct action groups, environmental groups, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, national, and international level...
protesters demonstrated against the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant and at one stage temporarily blocked all 26 border crossings between Austria and the Czech Republic. The first reactor was finally commissioned in 2000 and the second in 2002.
Technical data
Others from leaflet "Energy from South Bohemia" by CEZ Group.
The reactor vessel (active zone)
| Station | Reactor type | Net capacity | Gross capacity | Thermal Output | Initial criticality | Grid date | Exp. shutdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Temelín 1 | VVER VVER The VVER, or WWER, is a series of pressurised water reactors originally developed by the Soviet Union, and now Russia, by OKB Gidropress. Power output ranges from 440 MWe to 1200 MWe with the latest Russian development of the design... 1000 type V 320 PW |
963 MWe MWE MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical... |
1013 MWe | 3000 MW | Dec 2000 | Jun 2002 | 2042 |
| Temelín 2 | VVER 1000 type V 320 PW | 963 MWe | 1013 MWe | 3000 MW | Dec 2002 | Apr 2003 | 2043 |
The reactor contains 163 fuel assemblies.
A single assembly has the shape of ~4.5m long hexagonal and inside are 312 fuel rods and 61 control rods.
Inside the rods is the fuel in the shape of small cylinders. So-called pallets.
Fuel enrichment: max. 4% (average 3.5%) of 235U (fissile isotope)
Fuel load UO2: 92t (The reactor splits about 3kg of uranium every day)
Fuel Replacement cycle: 4 years (every year 1/4 is changed)
vessel height: ~11m, outside diameter: ~4.5m, wall thickness: 193mm
The vessel is designed for up to 17.6MPa at 350°C
The vessel is made of high quality, low-alloy chrome-nickel-molybdenum-vanadium steel
For the reactor to produce thermal output 1W, 30 billion fissions of uranium-235 must take place every second.
Reactor cooling system
Number of cooling loops: 4Quantity of primary circuit coolant: 337 m3
Operating pressure: 15.7MPa
Coolant inlet temperature: approx. 290°C (554F)
Coolant outlet temperature: approx. 320°C (608F)
Coolant flow through reactor: 23.5 m3/s
Steam generator
Number per reactor block: 4Steam delivered per one generator: 1470 t/hour
Steam outlet pressure: 6.3MPa
Steam outlet temperature: 278.5 °C (533.3F)
Cooling circuit
The plant has 4 cooling towers (each reactor has 2 towers). Each tower has a height of 150 metres (492.1 ft), a diameter of 130 metres (426.5 ft), and an external wall surface area of 44000 square metres (473,612.1 sq ft).Pure water is evaporated in cooling tower (~0.3m3/s). The water needs to be constantly refilled.
Protective Envelope (containment)
Height of cylindrical section: 38mInside diameter of cylindrical section: 45m
Wall thickness: 1.2m
Thickness of steel lining: 8mm
Turbine generator set
Number per production block: 1Number of steam turbine sections: 1 high preasure + 3 low preasure
Speed: 3000 rpm
Voltage on alternator's terminal: 24KV
Alternator cooling: hydrogen - water
Reliability
The two reactors at Temelin were often shut down due technical problems. The International Atomic Energy Agency documents this with the 'operating factor' (= the time with electricity feed-in relative to the total time since commercial operation start). Reactor 1 reaches an operating factor of about 63 %, reactor 2 an operating factor of about 76 %. Both reactors are offline for one third / one quarter of a year for technical maintenance, which is quite long for a newly-built pressurized water reactorPressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
In contrast other modern nuclear power plants like the Korean OPR-1000, the Canadian Candu 6
CANDU reactor
The CANDU reactor is a Canadian-invented, pressurized heavy water reactor. The acronym refers to its deuterium-oxide moderator and its use of uranium fuel...
or the German Konvoi show operating factors of about 90 %.
New reactors
Plans to build all four original reactors were reopened in 2005. In 2007 planning was suspended because a new government agreed not to promote nuclear energy; a Green PartyGreen Party (Czech Republic)
The Green Party is a political party in the Czech Republic.The party was founded in February 1990 but for a long time it struggled to obtain significant influence in Czech politics. In the 2002 legislative election the party received 2.4% of the vote...
was a member of the coalition government. However, in July 2008 ČEZ requested the Ministry of the Environment conduct an environmental impact assessment
Environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment is an assessment of the possible positive or negative impact that a proposed project may have on the environment, together consisting of the natural, social and economic aspects....
for two additional reactors. In 2009 regional approval was granted for the new build. ČEZ plans to begin construction in 2013, with completion of the first block in 2020.
In August 2009, ČEZ sought bids for two pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s (PWRs). As of 2010 the companies bidding for the project are Areva
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
, Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC is a nuclear power company, offering a wide range of nuclear products and services to utilities throughout the world, including nuclear fuel, service and maintenance, instrumentation and control and advanced nuclear plant designs...
, and a consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
of ŠKODA JS, Atomstroyexport
Atomstroyexport
Atomstroyexport is the Russian Federation's nuclear power equipment and service export monopoly. It belongs to Atomenergoprom holding with 49.8% of shares owned by Gazprombank...
and Gidropress. The winner of the tender
Request for tender
A request for tender, commonly abbreviated to RFT, is a formal, structured invitation to suppliers for the supply of products or services. In the public sector, such a process may be required and determined in detail by law to ensure that such competition for the use of public money is open, fair...
was planned to be made public in 2011.
Shortly after the Fukushima nuclear accidents
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
The is a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns, and releases of radioactive materials at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant, following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011. The plant comprises six separate boiling water reactors originally designed by General Electric ,...
, Prime Minister Petr Nečas
Petr Necas
Petr Nečas is the current Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Leader of the Civic Democratic Party. He was sworn into office on 28 June 2010....
announced that the construction of new reactors will continue according to the original plans, but with the tender selection delayed to 2013.
See also
- Dukovany Nuclear Power StationDukovany Nuclear Power StationThe Dukovany Nuclear Power Station is a nuclear power plant near Dukovany, a village in the Czech Republic.It was the first NPP in what is now the Czech Republic and is situated 30 km from the city of Třebíč, near Dalešice Dam, where the NPP sources its water supply...
— another nuclear power plant in the Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....