Reactors and simulations: A visit to South Bohemia

On July 3, six students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, along with five members of the young researchers’ group “New Systems for Resource Conservation,” visited the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant in the south of the Czech Republic. Initiated by students in the Energy Engineering degree programme, this field trip was made possible by the acting lecturer, Doc. Ing. Karel Frana, Ph.D., from the Technical University of Liberec.

The power plant consists of two reactor units of the Russian VVER-1000 type. With a thermal reactor output of 3,000_MWth, each of the two units delivers an electrical output of 1,013_MWel, thereby providing approximately 15% of the Czech Republic’s electricity demand. The design of the reactors and safety systems is comparable to that of Western pressurized water reactors, such as those operated in Germany, among other countries. The plants exhibit significant differences in the design and operation of the secondary circuit. For example, the Czech turbines operate at a speed of 3,000 ^min⁻¹ and the German turbines at 1,500 ^min⁻¹. Furthermore, in contrast to the vertical arrangement of the steam generators and superheaters in Germany, a horizontal design was used at Temelín.

During the tour and through a series of presentations, the participants gained insight into the operation and functioning of a nuclear power plant. Following a welcome at the power plant’s information center, the agenda included a tour of the secondary circuit in the turbine hall as well as the outdoor facilities, including the wet cooling towers and transformers at the 400 kV substation. During the tour, it was reported that, from the commissioning of the two power plant units (in 2002 and 2003) through 2014, investments totaling 5 billion Czech crowns had been made to improve efficiency. These measures enabled a power output increase of approximately 200 MW.

Following this, the participants were given an insight into the multi-year training program for operating personnel on a simulator—which is a faithful replica of the unit control room—as well as the safety precautions in place for malfunctions and accidents. After a refreshment break, the event concluded with an overview lecture on the current state of energy supply in the Czech Republic and a discussion session with the power plant operator’s head of human resources.

Special thanks go to the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Friends of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences for funding the field trip, as well as to Mr. Doc. Ing. Karel Frana, Ph.D., and his wife for their active assistance with interpreting and organizing the field trip.

Text: Franz Thiele, with contributions from Dr. Clemens Schneider and Stella Silbermann