Opportunities and Challenges

Joseph Naser

Electric Power Research Institute

IAEA Technical Working Group on Nuclear Power Plant Control and Instrumentation (TWG-NPPCI)

May 20-22, 2009

Vienna, Austria

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Nuclear Plants’ Challenge - Make Significant Contributions Worldwide

• Maintain existing and develop new cost-effective electricity generating plants

• Reduce production of CO2 and other “greenhouse” gases by electricity generating plants to contribute to the successful resolution of the challenges of global warming

– Technology scenarios have been analyzed for the United States

– No one technology can carry the load of meeting electricity demands and lower emissions – nuclear plants must play a significant role

3© 2009 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Technology Target

Efficiency Load Growth ~ +0.75%/yr

Renewables 100 GWe by 2030

Nuclear Generation 64 GWe by 2030

Advanced Coal Generation

1-3% Heat Rate Improvement for 130 GWe Existing Plants

46% New Plant Efficiency by 2020; 49% in 2030

CCS Widely Deployed After 2020

PHEV10% of New Light-Duty Vehicle Sales by

2017; 33% by 2030

DER 5% of Base Load in 2030

Achieving all targets is very aggressive, but potentially feasible.

EPRI 2008 Prism... Technical Potential for CO2 Reductions in the United States

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Generation Mix

2007 U.S. Electricity Generation Mix

Petroleum, 1%

Coal, 51%

Natural Gas, 18%

Conventional Hydropower, 7%

Non-Hydro Renewables, 2%

Nuclear, 21%

Coalw/o CCS

39%

Advanced Coalw/CCS, 13%

Natural Gas5%

Nuclear29%

ConventionalHydropower

5%

Non-HydroRenewables, 9%

EPRI “Prism” Projected 2030 Generation Mix

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Exciting Time for Nuclear Industry – Operating Plants

• 436 operating plants worldwide with a total net installed capacity of ~370 GW(e)

• Several plants going through modernization to digital I&C and HSI throughout the world

• Many operating plants are extending or planning on extending their lifetimes

• Extended lifetimes

– Will necessitate I&C and HSI modernization – and more than once, need to “design for replacement”

– Provide the opportunities to gain substantial benefits from digital I&C and HSI

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Exciting Time for Nuclear Industry – New Plants

• New plants are being planned and built worldwide

– New designs being certified

– 44 new plants currently under construction around the world

– Many other plants being planned

• All new plants based on digital I&C and HSI technology

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Digital I&C and HSI Technology – Opportunities and Benefits

• Digital I&C and HSI address needs and brings significant opportunities and benefits for operating plants and new plants

– Increase focus on plant and personnel reliability and productivity improvements

– Increase benefits by taking advantage of capabilities of modern digital, HSI, information and communications technologies

• Enables an infrastructure that allows people to do their job better and faster with less likelihood of human error through the availability of the right information, to the right people, at the right time, in an easy to understand form

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Digital I&C and HSI Technology – Opportunities and Benefits (continued)

• Offers opportunities, when used effectively, for:

– Increased functionality and productivity

– Reduced operations and maintenance costs

– Increased reliability and availability

– Enhanced safety

– Added flexibility and performance advantages

• Enhances knowledge capture and presentation

• Provides a technology that young people are familiar with and will be more attractive to bring them into the industry

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Opportunities Through Use of Digital

• Sensors, data collection and transmission for more and better information

• On-line monitoring, diagnostics and prognostics for predictive maintenance and increased equipment reliability

• Simulation capabilities to support operations, design, engineering, maintenance and risk assessment

• Visualization capabilities to support decision making and usability

• Automation and intelligent agent aids to reduce workload and likelihood of human errors

• Human-system interfaces for facilitating well-informed situation awareness and decision-making

• Technology transfer and training for new technologies

• Operating experience providing lessons learned and best practices

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Challenges

• Business cases needed to get approval for new systems

• Technologies and systems must support safe and economic operation and reduce likelihood of human error

• Design, technical, implementation, and regulatory challenges must be overcome

• The proof of concept, pilot testing, and field implementation cycle must be shortened

• Training on new technologies

• Nuclear industry global, need as much common agreement on technical and regulatory requirements as possible

• Regulatory issues and guidance need to be addressed generically to reduce costs, risks and time required to license new plants and to modernize operating plants

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Technical Working Group on Nuclear Power Plant Control and Instrumentation

• Members represent 19 countries• Exchange information on national and international I&C

programs in nuclear power plants• Advise the IAEA and give recommendations on future

activities related to NPP I&C • Opportunity to recommend activities that will help:

– Maintain and enhance plant safety– Improve plant and human performance– Enable digital system implementation– Capture and transfer expertise– Provide large scale cost-effective electricity– Reduce production of CO2 and other “greenhouse” gases

by electricity generating plants

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Questions?