Challenges of Engineering and Constructing the Next Generation of Nuclear Plants Jack Tuohy

Challenges of Engineering and Constructing the Next Generation of Nuclear Plants

• Jack Tuohy

• Director, Strategic Planning

• Hitachi Power Systems America, Ltd.

What has changed?

• Energy Policy Act of 2005: Incentives to deployment

• Coal seen as high risk due to uncertainty in C tax

• Nuclear Power viewed as a clean energy solution (C free)

• Operating Plants: Extraordinary operating record

• New build infrastructure is gone

Current Capability in US

• Engineering/Design

• Procurement

• Manufacturing

• Construction

Current Capability in the US

• Remember back

• New Regulations: Developed in parallel with design, manufacturing and construction activities

• New codes and standards: ASME Section III, IEEE Class 1E,… did not exist

• Design Drawings: Pencil on Mylar

• Document reviews: Hard copies for everyone (The copier was overburdened)

• Typewriters (Proof reading again and again, and again)

• Incorporation of comments: Cut and Paste (literally)

• Composite drawings (Crude Interference detector)

• Slide Rules (I still have mine)

• Great leadership

How to meet the challenge

• Use modern tools

• Maximize effectiveness of experienced personnel still in the industry

• Tap into retired labor pool of experience

• Get help from Overseas Programs that did not experience a discontinuity in deployment of new nuclear units

Japanese model – Vertical Integration

• Hitachi Plant Integrated CAE System provides optimized design, visualization, and information management throughout the plant lifetime.

Reactor Pressure Vessel and Internals

Advanced Construction Technologies

Modular construction is becoming more sophisticated and more extensively employed

Advantages of Modularization

Layout Optimization (Example)

Layout Optimization (Example)

Large Module Applications in R/B

Large Module Applications in T/B

Modular Construction Standardization Yields Predictable Schedule

Construction Schedule Comparison

Impact of experience and shift to modular construction

Summary Construction Strategies