atw 2018-12

atw Vol. 63 (2018) | Issue 11/12 ı November/December
612
AMNT 2018
This first-of-a-kind study had
found a remarkable advantage of
nuclear power production, often overlooked
in public discussion: The fact
that practically all of the money spent
for a nuclear kWh remains within
the domestic value chain, because
uranium mining requires only less
than 2 % of the production cost,
whereas all the rest can be attributed
to high-tech components, spare
parts, services and mostly high-paid
domestic jobs.
With other types of electricity
generation, much more than half of
each Euro spent for a kWh goes to fuel
providers (lignite, hard coal, even
more extensively in the case of gas) or
assembly-line produced hardware
(solar, also wind). Because of this
(economic) effect and because of its
easy upfront fuel storage potential in
the fuel production process, nuclear
is in practice a “domestic” energy
source, with all the benefits for its
owners and customers. This significant
quality has always been
underestimated in public discussions
and underweighted in power option
scenarios.
Nevertheless, the presentation was
embargoed shortly before the event,
and the trip to Berlin for its author was
denied on short notice.
However, the organizer could refer
to a corresponding press release from
WNN “www.World-Nuclear-News.or/
NN-Jobs-for-two-centuries-in-nuclear”,
from 15 September 2017, quoting:
“Some 200.000 job-years of employment
are created by each 1000
MWe of nuclear capacity constructed,
according to a new study by the
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and
the IAEA”.
The press release also quotes a
2010 study by D Harker and
P Hirschboeck, who found the job
intensity of nuclear to be half of
( photovoltaic) solar, comparable to
small hydro and concentrating solar,
but ten times higher in comparison to
combined cycle gas or wind energy.
After the break, the session continued
with the presentation of a new
practical tool for the Application of
Lubricants and other Consumables
in Nuclear Power Plants: The new
VGB QP-Data Bank, presented by
Dr. Fred Böttcher, EnBW Kernkraft,
Neckarwestheim, and co-authored by
Dr. rer. nat. Dittmar Rutschow, VGB
PowerTech e.V., Essen.
In this data bank all documentation
for the application of today about
1500 lubricants, detergents, fluids
and other consumables (e.g. markers,
degreasing agents, abrasives, testing
agents, sealings) in nuclear power
plants is collected and provided for
day-to-day quick-notice application.
The data bank follows similar external
installations (by manufacturers), it is
fed by the operators themselves on
a non-profit base, and available to
all contributing VGB members. For
detailed information either the
authors or the chairman of the VGB
working group “Chemistry in Nuclear
Power Plants”, Dr. Timo Stoll, Kernkraftwerk
Emsland, can be contacted.
In principle, the data bank is also open
for non-nuclear applications. Furthermore,
the VGB chemistry laboratory
offers specimen tests for a reasonable
remuneration.
The fifth contribution covered
Recent Developments for the Flood
Protection Design Concerning
Nuclear Power Plants, authored by
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jürgen Jensen ( presenter)
and MSc Sebastian Niehüser, both
Universität Siegen, Dipl.-Ing. Katrin
Borowski, RWE Nuclear, Essen, and
Dr. Thomas Tittel, PreussenElektra,
Hannover.
Triggered by the Fukushima event,
nuclear sites around the world have
been re-evaluated also in terms of
their flooding resilience, both on
coastal or river sites. In Europe the
“EU Stress test” has found no deficiencies
in nuclear site protection in any
way comparable to Fukushima’s 10m
ground height above sea level and a
14m-high tsunami.
In Germany, the parallel “RSK-
Safety Check” performed in 2011
came to the same conclusion, furthermore
it identified extra robustness
levels for each site.
Prof. Jensen gave an overview on
the historic development and today’s
state-of-the-art, incorporating recent
scientific evidence on increasing rainfall
consequences and sea level rise
due to global warming. Governing
effect of course is the increased
probability and intensity of gale force
wind events with corresponding precipitation,
requiring site-specific and
prospective analyses. In consequence,
levee heights and qualities are and
will have to be increased and improved
continuously on every coast
and river bank, requiring investments
and careful maintenance.
Quantifying the “necessary” height
of flood protection installations
should, however, not only be based
on probabilistic calculations using
historical data, but should take also
into account the “physically based
upper limits”.
The last contribution Benefits of
Simulator Training was presented by
Dipl.-Ing. Dietmar Dusmann, Simulatorzentrum
KSG/ GfS, Essen.
In Germany the simulator training
for practically all nuclear power plants
has traditionally been pooled in Essen,
for the last decades in a purpose-build
simulator center building in Essen-
Kupferdreh. The operators of the
Dutch plant Borssele have also delegated
their simulator training to this
installation.
All regular education and retraining
is performed at the training
center, which thus could centralize
and continuously develop and
advance its expertise, including
development of components, simulator
software and control room
procedures, the latter including
human- factor related issues and
beyond- design accident management
procedures.
In this capacity the center has
gathered unique and world-class
simulator know-how, now increasingly
also available for non-nuclear
applications, as the German nuclear
units will continuously be released
from regulator oversight in the course
of the phase-out programme decided
by the government.
Author
Dr. Ludger Mohrbach
Head Nuclaer Power Plants
VGB PowerTech e.V.
Deilbachtal 173
45257 Essen, Germany
AMNT 2018
Focus Session “International Operational Experience” ı Ludger Mohrbach