Main control room system for nuclear power plant including small modular nuclear reactors

Abstract

The present invention relates to a main control room system for a nuclear power plant including a plurality of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), the system comprising: a first operator console which includes a first operator screen; a second operator console which includes a second operator screen; a supervisor console which includes a supervisor screen; and a control unit which classifies accidents occurring in each SMR, determines a response mode in accordance with the accident classification, and selects a console for controlling the operation of the respective SMR in accordance with the response mode.

Description

Main control room system of a nuclear power plant including a small modular reactor

[0001] The present invention relates to a main control room system of a nuclear power plant including a small modular reactor.

[0002] The main control room of a conventional nuclear power plant has a large display panel (LDP) that allows the operator to immediately determine the overall status of the power plant and respond to accidents through the operator console.

[0003] However, in case control becomes difficult due to a failure of the operator console or a common cause failure of digital equipment, a separate safety console is installed to ensure that the power plant remains in a safe state.

[0004] Conventional nuclear power plants were operated with a single reactor, but with the development and introduction of passive designs and small modular reactors, it is necessary to design and arrange a main control room within the nuclear power plant to control the operation of a power plant composed of multiple modular reactors and to perform such operations with a minimum number of operators.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a main control room system for a nuclear power plant including a small modular reactor.

[0006] The present invention relates to a main control room system of a nuclear power plant including a plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs), comprising: a first operator console including a first operator screen; a second operator console including a second operator screen; a supervisor console including a supervisor screen; and a control unit that classifies accidents occurring in each of the SMRs, determines a response mode according to the accident classification, and selects a console that controls the operation of each of the SMRs according to the response mode.

[0007] The above nuclear power plant further includes a large information display for understanding the status of the entire system, and the large information display may include a main display for displaying information on the operation of the main system of the power plant and the current status of peripheral devices; and a plurality of sub-displays for displaying information related to the operation status, alarms, and operation procedures of the nuclear reactor, which are installed in the form of wings on both sides of the main display.

[0008] The first operator screen and the second operator screen may each include a plurality of sub-screens that display information related to the operation status, alarms, and operation procedures of the plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs), and at least some of the plurality of sub-screens may display information related to the status of an accident occurring in each of the SMRs. The first operator console and the second operator console may each include an operator operation switch that controls individual operation of the plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs); and an operator supervision screen that displays classification items related to an accident occurring in each of the SMRs.

[0009] The above supervisor screen may include a plurality of sub-screens that share at least some of the information displayed on the first operator screen and the second operator screen, and the supervisor console may include a supervisor operation switch that controls individual operation of the plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs); and a supervisor supervision screen that displays classification items related to accidents occurring in each of the SMRs.

[0010] The control unit classifies accidents occurring in each SMR based on the frequency of accidents and the severity of accident consequences, and the accident classification may include a first classification having a high frequency of accidents and a low severity of accident consequences; a second classification having a low frequency of accidents and a low severity of accident consequences; and a third classification having a high severity of accident consequences regardless of the frequency of accidents.

[0011] The above-described plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs) include a first SMR, and when an accident included in the accident classification occurs in the first SMR, the control unit, if it is determined that the accident is the first classification, determines a first response mode, and in the first response mode, causes the first operator console to control the operation of the first SMR, causes the first operator console not to control the operation of the remaining small modular reactors (SMRs), causes the second operator console to control the operation of the remaining reactors, and causes the supervisor console to monitor the operation control states of the first operator console and the second operator console.

[0012] The control unit, if it is determined that the accident is of the second category, determines the second response mode, and in the second response mode, the supervisor console may control the operation of the first SMR, and the first operator console and / or the second operator console may control the operation of the remaining small modular reactors (SMRs) whose operation is not controlled by the supervisor console.

[0013] The control unit, if it is determined that the accident is of the third category, determines the third response mode, and in the third response mode, at least one of the first driver console and the second driver console and the supervisor console can cooperate to control the first SMR.

[0014] Each of the above SMRs is provided in 2N units (N is an integer), and during normal operation, the first driver console is responsible for driving N units, and the second driver console is responsible for driving the remaining N units.

[0015] The above N may be 2.

[0016] According to the present invention, a main control room system of a nuclear power plant including a small modular reactor is provided.

[0017] Figure 1 illustrates a main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing the control of the main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 shows an accident classification in which accidents occurring in a nuclear power plant are classified according to the frequency of accidents and the severity of the accident outcome, in one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of the control unit according to the accident classification in the event of an accident in the main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] The present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings below.

[0022] The attached drawings are merely examples intended to more specifically illustrate the technical concepts of the present invention, and therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the attached drawings. Furthermore, the attached drawings may exaggerate the size and spacing of components to illustrate the relationships between components.

[0023] Figure 1 illustrates a main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] In the present invention, the nuclear power plant includes a small modular reactor (hereinafter referred to as “SMR”), and the SMR may be provided in a number of 2N (N is an integer). In the following description, N is exemplified as 2, but is not limited thereto.

[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the main control room system (10) includes a large information display (100), a first operator console (200), a second operator console (300), a supervisor console (400), and a control unit (500, see FIG. 2). That is, four SMRs are operated by a total of three people: one supervisor and two operators.

[0026] The large information display (100) is intended to identify the status of the entire system within a nuclear power plant, and includes a main display (110) and a sub display (120).

[0027] The main display (110) displays information on the operation of the main systems of the power plant and the current status of peripheral devices.

[0028] The sub-display (120) displays information related to the operation status and alarms of the reactor, which is installed in the form of wings on both sides of the main display (110). A plurality of sub-displays may be installed, but are not limited thereto.

[0029] The first driver console (200) includes a first driver screen (210), a first driver operation switch (220), and a first driver supervision screen (230).

[0030] The first driver screen (210) may be composed of multiple sub-screens that display information related to the driving status, alarms, and driving procedures of each SMR. At least some of the multiple sub-screens may display information on the status of accidents occurring in each SMR, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, information on each SMR may be displayed in a divided manner on a single sub-screen.

[0031] The first driver operation switch (220) controls the individual operation of each SMR through the control of the control unit (500) described below. Referring to Fig. 1, the first driver console (200) is illustrated as having 2N (N is an integer) operation switches, but this is not limited thereto.

[0032] The first operator supervision screen (230) may display classification items related to accidents occurring in each SMR, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the first operator supervision screen (230) may also display information related to the status of the entire system within the nuclear power plant displayed on the large information display (100).

[0033] The second driver console (300) includes a second driver screen (310), a second driver operation switch (320), and a second driver supervision screen (330).

[0034] The second driver screen (310) may be comprised of multiple sub-screens displaying information related to the driving status, alarms, and driving procedures of each SMR. At least some of the multiple sub-screens may display information on the status of accidents occurring in each SMR, but this is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, information for each SMR may be displayed in a split manner on a single sub-screen.

[0035] The second driver operation switch (320) controls the individual operation of each SMR through the control of the control unit (500) described below. Referring to Fig. 1, the second driver console (300) is illustrated as having 2N (N is an integer) operation switches, but is not limited thereto.

[0036] The second operator supervision screen (330) may display classification items related to accidents occurring in each SMR, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the second operator supervision screen (330) may also display information related to the status of the entire system within the nuclear power plant displayed on the large information display (100).

[0037] The supervisor console (400) includes a supervisor screen (410), a supervisor operation switch (420), and a supervisor supervision screen (430).

[0038] The supervisor screen (410) is composed of multiple sub-screens that share information displayed on the first driver screen (210) and the second driver screen (310), but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, information shared from the first driver screen (210) and the second driver screen (310) may be displayed in a split manner on a single sub-screen.

[0039] The supervisor operation switch (420) controls the individual operation of each SMR through the control of the control unit (500) described below. Referring to Fig. 1, the supervisor console (400) is illustrated as having 2N (N is an integer) operation switches, but is not limited thereto.

[0040] The supervisory screen (430) may display classification items related to accidents occurring in each SMR, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the supervisory screen (430) may also display information related to the status of the entire system within the nuclear power plant displayed on the large information display (100).

[0041] In one embodiment of the present invention, a first operator console (200), a second operator console (300), and a supervisor console (400) each include a plurality of reactor operation switches (220, 320, 420) for controlling individual operation of each SMR, and a supervisory screen (230, 330, 430) for displaying classification items regarding accidents occurring in each SMR, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the operation switches and the supervisory screen may be collectively installed in any one of the first operator console (200), the second operator console (300), and the supervisory console (400).

[0042] Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing the control of the main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Referring to Fig. 2, the control unit (500) receives operation information / device information / status information, etc. of each SMR and determines whether there is an overload / accident. In the case of an overload, the SMR in question is managed intensively, and in the case of an accident, the response mode is determined based on the frequency of the accident and the severity of the accident outcome, and the console (first operator console, second operator console, and third operator console) that controls the operation of each SMR is selected according to the response mode.

[0044] In the main control room system (10) of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention, during normal operation, the first operator console (200) may be in charge of driving two SMRs, and the second operator console (300) may be in charge of driving the remaining two SMRs, but is not limited thereto.

[0045] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the operation of a control unit in a main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0046] FIG. 3 shows an accident classification that classifies accidents occurring in a nuclear power plant according to the frequency of accidents and the severity of the accident outcome in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing in detail the operation of a control unit according to the accident classification when an accident occurs in the main control room system of a nuclear power plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 3, in the present invention, accident classification is performed based on the frequency of accidents and the severity of accident conclusions for accidents occurring in each SMR, and the accident classification includes a first classification (A1), a second classification (A2), and a third classification (A3).

[0048] Although not illustrated, the main control room system (10) of a nuclear power plant may further include a database storing the frequency of accidents and the severity of accident outcomes for various types of accidents, and the control unit (500) may refer to the data in the database when classifying accidents. Alternatively, the control unit (500) may classify accidents through self-learning about accident types.

[0049] The first category (A1) means that the accident frequency is high and the accident outcome severity is low, the second category (A2) means that the accident frequency and accident outcome severity are low, and the third category (A3) means that the accident outcome severity is high regardless of the accident frequency.

[0050] Accidents falling under Category 1 (A1) include, but are not limited to, loss of coolant in small pipes (1.7 inches).

[0051] Accidents falling under Category 2 (A1) include, but are not limited to, accidents that transition from a loss of coolant in a small pipe to a loss of coolant in a large pipe.

[0052] Accidents falling under Category 3 (A3) include, but are not limited to, accidents such as loss of coolant in large pipelines, which, if they occur, would result in very serious situations.

[0053] In the example of the present invention, there are four small modular reactors (SMRs), including a first SMR, a second SMR, a third SMR, and a fourth SMR. The following describes an example in which an accident occurs in the first SMR.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 5, the control unit (500) first determines whether there is an abnormality in the SMR (an SMR that is operating abnormally, the first SMR) based on the operation information / device information / status information of each SMR. (B10)

[0055] Afterwards, if the 1st SMR is determined to be in an accident state, the accident classification of the accident occurring in the 1st SMR is determined. (B20)

[0056] Here, the accident classification judgment by the control unit (500) classifies accidents occurring in each SMR based on the accident frequency and accident ending severity, and an accident with a high frequency and low accident ending severity is classified as the first classification (A1), an accident with a low frequency and low accident ending severity is classified as the second classification (A2), and an accident with a high accident ending severity regardless of the frequency is classified as the third classification (A3).

[0057] Referring to Figure 5, if the accident classification that occurred in the first SMR is determined to be the first classification (A1), the first response mode is determined, and the operation of each SMR is controlled according to the first response mode. (B31)

[0058] In the first response mode, the first driver console (200) controls the operation of the first SMR where the accident occurred, and at this time, the first driver console (200) does not control the operation of the remaining SMRs.

[0059] Accidents in Category 1 (A1) are those that have a high (high) accident frequency, require a lot of response experience, and have a low accident severity, so they are handled by one driver.

[0060] While the first operator console (200) controls the operation of the SMR where the accident occurred, the second operator console (300) controls the operation of the remaining reactors.

[0061] The supervisor console (400) monitors the driving control status of the first driver console (200) and the second driver console (300).

[0062] If the accident classification occurring in the first SMR is determined to be Class 2 (A2), the second response mode is determined, and the operation of each SMR is controlled according to the second response mode. (B32)

[0063] In the second response mode, the supervisor console (400) controls the operation of the first SMR where the accident occurred.

[0064] While the supervisor console (400) controls the operation of the SMR in which the accident occurred, the first operator console (200) and / or the second operator console (300) control the operation of the remaining small modular reactors (SMRs) whose operation is not controlled by the supervisor console (400).

[0065] Class 2 (A2) accidents are less severe, but their frequency is also low, leading to a lack of experience responding to them. Therefore, they are handled exclusively by experienced supervisors.

[0066] If the accident classification occurring in the first SMR is determined to be Category 3 (A3), the third response mode is determined, and the operation of each SMR is controlled according to the third response mode. (B33)

[0067] In the third response mode, one of the first driver console (200) and the second driver console (300) and the supervisor console (400) cooperate to control the first SMR where the accident occurred.

[0068] Accidents classified as Category 3 (A3) are characterized by a high degree of severity, requiring collaboration between supervisors and drivers to focus on accident resolution. In this case, one of the first operator console (200) and the second operator console (300), which is not cooperating, controls the operation of the remaining SMRs.

[0069] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to operate an individual small modular reactor (SMR) with a small number of three people, while effectively responding to transient and accident states by taking into account the frequency of accidents and the severity of accident consequences.

[0070] While the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, these are merely exemplary. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations may be made to the present invention. Therefore, the technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. In the main control room system of a nuclear power plant including multiple small modular reactors (SMRs), A first driver console including a first driver screen; A second driver console including a second driver screen; Supervisor console containing the supervisor screen; A main control room system of a nuclear power plant, including a control unit that classifies accidents occurring in each of the above SMRs, determines a response mode according to the accident classification, and selects a console that controls the operation of each of the above SMRs according to the response mode.

2. In paragraph 1, It further includes a large information display to determine the status of the entire system within the nuclear power plant. The above large information display is, A main display that displays the operation of the main systems of the power plant and the current status information of peripheral devices; and A main control room system of a nuclear power plant, comprising a plurality of sub-displays installed in the form of wings on both sides of the main display to display information related to the operating status, alarms, and operating procedures of the reactor.

3. In paragraph 1, The first operator screen and the second operator screen each include a plurality of sub-screens that display information related to the operation status, alarms, and operation procedures of the plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs), At least some of the above multiple sub-screens display information on the status of accidents occurring in each of the above SMRs, The above first driver console and second driver console are respectively, An operator operation switch for controlling the individual operation of the plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs); and A main control room system of a nuclear power plant, including an operator supervision screen that displays classification items related to accidents occurring in each of the above SMRs.

4. In paragraph 1, The above supervisor screen includes a plurality of sub-screens that share at least some of the information displayed on the first driver screen and the second driver screen, The above supervisor console, A supervisory operation switch controlling the individual operation of the plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs); and A main control room system of a nuclear power plant including a supervisory screen that displays classification items related to accidents occurring in each of the above SMRs.

5. In paragraph 1, The above control unit, Accidents occurring in each of the above SMRs are classified based on the frequency of accidents and the severity of the resulting accidents. The above accident classification is, Category 1: High accident frequency and low accident severity; Category 2, which has low accident frequency and accident outcome severity; and The main control room system of a nuclear power plant, including a Category 3 accident with a high accident severity regardless of the frequency of accidents.

6. In paragraph 5, The above plurality of small modular reactors (SMRs) include a first SMR, and if an accident included in the above accident classification occurs in the first SMR, The above control unit, If the above accident is judged to be of the first category, the first response mode is decided, In the above first response mode, The first operator console controls the operation of the first SMR, and the first operator console does not control the operation of the remaining small modular reactors (SMRs). The above second operator console controls the operation of the remaining reactors, A main control room system of a nuclear power plant that allows the above supervisor console to monitor the operation control status of the first operator console and the second operator console.

7. In paragraph 5, The above control unit, If the above accident is judged to be of the second category, the second response mode is decided, In the above second response mode, The above supervisor console controls the operation of the first SMR, A main control room system of a nuclear power plant that allows the first operator console and / or the second operator console to control the operation of the remaining small modular reactors (SMRs) whose operation is not controlled by the supervisor console.

8. In paragraph 5, The above control unit, If the above accident is judged to be of the third category, the third response mode is decided, In the above third response mode, A main control room system of a nuclear power plant in which at least one of the first operator console and the second operator console and the supervisor console cooperate to control the first SMR.

9. In paragraph 1, Each of the above SMRs is provided in 2N (N is an integer) units. A main control room system of a nuclear power plant in which, during normal operation, the first operator console is responsible for N operations, and the second operator console is responsible for the remaining N operations.

10. In paragraph 1, The above N is the main control room system of a two-person nuclear power plant.

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