A

Publication

Chinas Nuclear Boom

ENRICHMENT
FUEL FOR THOUGHT
NEWS
NUCLEUS 1

No. 4

Chinas Nuclear Boom

NUCLEUS 2

14

NUCLEUS 3

17

Volume 8

Decommissioning Issues

Rethinking Steel-Plate Composite

Construction

JULY/AUGUST 2015

NUCLEAR EVENTS

Photo courtesy: Sanmen Nuclear Power Station in China

3
5
7
11

23

seNIor vIce PresIdeNt, North aMerIcaN Power

geNeratIoN grouP Richard Baker
(918) 831-9187 richardb@pennwell.com

1421 South Sheridan Road

Tulsa, OK 74112
P.O. Box 1260, Tulsa, OK 74101
Telephone: (918) 835-3161
Fax: (918) 831-9834
E-mail: pe@pennwell.com
World Wide Web:
http://www.power-eng.com

ENGINEERING STRENGTH

chaIrMaN Frank T. Lauinger

PresIdeNt/chIef executIve offIcer
Robert F. Biolchini
chIef fINaNcIal offIcer/seNIor vIce PresIdeNt
Mark C. Wilmoth

Nuclear Power INterNatIoNal MagazINe

Sharryn Dotson, Editor
(918) 832-9339 sharrynd@pennwell.com

corPorate headquartersPeNNwell corP.

1421 S. Sheridan Road, Tulsa, OK 74112
Telephone: (918) 835-3161

edItorIal desIgNerLena Banuet

ProductIoN MaNagerDaniel Greene

NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL is published six times a year by PennWell Corp., 1421
S. Sheridan Rd., Tulsa, OK 74112; phone (918)
835-3161. Copyright 2015 by PennWell Corp.
(Registered in U.S. Patent Trademark Office). Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific
clients, is granted by POWER ENGINEERING,
ISSN 0032-5961, provided that the appropriate fee
is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, 222
Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 USA 978750-8400. Prior to photocopying items for educational use, contact Copyright Clearance Center. For
reprints, contact Foster Printing for a price quote.
For more information, please call 866-879-9144 or
email us at pennwellreprints@fosterprinting.com.

NatIoNal BraNd MaNagerJenna Hall

(918) 832-9249 jennah@pennwell.com
seNIor MarketINg MaNagerRachel Campbell
(918) 831-9576 rachelc@pennwell.com
suBscrIBer servIce
P.O. Box 3264
Phone: (847) 763-9750
Fax: (847) 763-9607
Power eNgINeerINg MagazINe
Russell Ray, Managing Editor
(918) 832-9368 russellr@pennwell.com
audIeNce develoPMeNt MaNagerLinda Thomas

Bringing Strength in Knowledge, People, and Service.

Structural Integritys engineering strength comes in many forms -- from our 30+ years of
experience, to our team of over 200 engineering experts, to our experience with many
power plants and gas and hazardous material containing pipelines in the industry.
You can also look to us in the following areas for our ability to link theory
and practice:
Knowledge of power plants, codes, and how things work.
Extensive experience and leadership.
High quality, hard work, and responsiveness.
Custom, integrated equipment, software and solutions.

Call us today to put our engineering strength to the test.

vIce PresIdeNt, audIeNce develoPMeNt &

Book PuBlIshINgJune Griffin
Scan the QR Code for more information

(877-4SI-POWER)
8 7 7 - 4 7 4 - 7 6 9 3
A

Publication

www.structint.com/NPI

ENRICHMENT
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

A Tale of Two Nuclear Countries

BY SHARRYN DOTSON, EDITOR

hina and Japan are relatively close to each other, yet

are worlds apart when it comes to nuclear power. One
country is slowly restarting shut down nuclear plants and
squashing new builds, while the other is in the middle of quite a
new nuclear boom.
In June, China General Nuclear (CGN) announced it started
commercial operations at the Ningde 3 and Yangjiang 2 plants.
Both use the 1,080-MW CPR-1000 reactor technology. In March,
CGN connected the Hongyanhe 3 nuclear unit to the grid and the
Fangjiashan 2 unit was connected to the grid in November 2014.
This is in addition to the more than 30 other reactors under construction in China.
Conversely, out of the 48 reactors shut down in Japan, only two
are in the process of restarting. Units 1 and 2 at the Sendai nuclear
plant passed all safety checks and inspections and were granted permission to restart. Kyushu Electric Power Co. said the utility completed loading fuel in Unit 1 and plans to have it running by August
10. Unit 2 is slated to begin operations in October. About 25 other
reactors in the country have either submitted applications or are in
varying stages of safety reviews for restart. The country will never
get back to the point where it had almost 50 reactors in operation,
but the restarts are a good start to help utilities bottom lines and

emissions levels that have increased since

the plants shut down in 2011.
Not to be outdone, South Korea currently has four reactors under construction scheduled to come online between
2015 and 2018. Eight more are planned
with construction scheduled between
2016 and 2023, according to the World
Nuclear Association.

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

Asia is quickly growing. China is the

most populous country with 1.357 billion people as of 2014. India is second,
followed by Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Japan is sixth on the list with
127.3 million. According to the World
Population Review, it is predicted that
populations will grow in every Asian
country with the exception of Japan and

NEED POWER FAST?

1MW
1M
W Emergency
Emer
Em
erge
er
rgenc
genc
ge
ncy Ge
ncy
G
Gene
Generator
ene
nera
era
r to
torr
Compact,
lightweight,
Flex 2 andd 3 compatible
C
t li
ht i ht Fl
tibll
ti
Flex 2 - 9500 lbs., 14.5 L. x 5.7 W. x 8 H.
Flex 3 - 8250 lbs., 14.5 L. x 3.5 W. x 7.5 H. without trailer
Portable by standard truck or helicopter, and sized
for commercial airfreight
Available in many Hz and Voltage congurations.
Turbine Marine Inc. www.turbinemarine.com jarruda@turbinemarine.com Tel: (954) 979-4409

ENRICHMENT

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

Kazakhstan through 2050. Some countries are expected to double or more

than double their populations during
the same time frame, including India,
Pakistan and Vietnam.
So, what does this mean for the global industry at a time when building new
nuclear projects is pretty hit or miss? It
means that not only are some countries
going to meet power demands with a
mix of generation sources that will include nuclear, but they will also expand
their supply chains, which means more
international business opportunities.
That means that, even if new builds
slow here in the U.S., for example,
companies can stay afloat by providing
products and services around the world.
Look at companies like Westinghouse,
Rosatom and Areva (despite the troubled nuclear reactors division, Arevas
waste storage, decommissioning and
outage management products are flying
out the door). They are involved in projects all over the world, or sharing their
expertise with emerging countries that
would like to begin or grow a nuclear

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

industry. This includes Asian countries

like Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia, which have all signed civil nuclear
cooperation agreements with Russia,
the U.S. and other major players in the
nuclear industry.
Like many countries, Asia must overcome negative attitudes toward nuclear
if it wants to maintain a nuclear industry. The 2011 accident in Fukushima,
coupled with a scandal involving forged
documents for replacement parts in
South Korea nuclear power plants and
public opposition to restarting nuclear
plants in Japan have all led to some not
wanting to bother with building a nuclear plant. However, as more and more
countries look to lower emissions while
keeping the grid stable, nuclear must
remain one of the choices. Of course,
the governments will have to use what
works best for their regions.
Asia is the poster child for how nuclear can be both embraced and shunned.
It will be interesting to see where the
nuclear industry in Asia stands in the
next decade or so.

FUEL FOR THOUGHT

NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

Author
Mary Jo Rogers,
Ph.D. is a partner
at Strategic Talent
Solutions with over
15 years working
with energy leaders.
She recently
published the book,
Nuclear Energy
Leadership: Lessons
Learned from U.S.
Operators, by
PennWell. Contact
Mary Jo at maryjo@
strattalent.com.

Strategic Investment in Talent

BY MARY JO ROGERS, PH.D.

The cover story in the June issue of Power Engineering magazine highlighted the challenges facing
the energy, utility and manufacturing sectors in finding skilled labor as baby boomers retire in
greater numbers. These same challenges are being seen in the supervisor and manager ranks at
nuclear power plants across the country. Engineeringmore than any other departmentappears to be the canary in the coal mine. Engineering organizations are feeling the loss of knowledge and the impact of too many open engineering positions and leadership roles filled by much
less experienced engineering supervisors and managers. As U.S. nuclear power plants and their
systems age and license extensions go into effect, the need for highly capable engineering leadership will increase, if anything.
Operations departments are not feeling as much pain as engineering because sites have been
more diligent and proactive in feeding the licensed operator and non-licensed operator pipelines
or face being out of compliance with their legal commitments for operating the reactor. Maintenance, work management and training organizations are right behind.
As nuclear operating companies make short- and long-term asset management decisions about
what equipment to replace, fix, or maintain, they need to be making strategic decisions about
investing in the talent they need to effectively run organizations as complicated as nuclear power
plants. On the surface, most nuclear utilities across the U.S. appear to be doing so, in that they
have recruiting, assessment, and leadership development programs in place conceivably to grow
talent and increase leadership effectiveness. But scratch below the surface, and many companies
programs fail to reach a large portion of nuclear power leaders and potential leaders. Leadership
training programs may be limited in their effectiveness and/or not available to a large portion of

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

the population. Succession planning, critical

to focusing developmental activities, too often
consists of lists of names repeated too often
and discussions concentrated on personality
and historical personal references, good and
bad. Instead, succession planning discussions
need to be regular meetings, supported by the
highest levels of leadership, and centered on
leadership attributes necessary to be effective
in various positions. Candidates level of readiness should be based on independent assessments of these attributes, which also serve as
a basis for future leaders development.
Fortunately, nuclear power operating companies are increasingly applying the necessary
discipline and rigor to talent development in
order to close gaps and grow their own talent,
forestalling leadership shortages. In my book,
Nuclear Energy Leadership: Lessons Learned
from U.S. Operators (2013), I offered a checklist that nuclear sites can use to identify where
they need to work to improve their talent development capabilities:
The site must have documented processes (i.e., published guidelines or procedures) for

FUEL FOR THOUGHT

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

12
succession planning, talent management
and leadership development. In nuclear
power, if it isnt written down, its not
happening. Once formalized, leaders
need to follow these processes, which
should be shared openly with the broader management team so future leaders
can see what may be available to them
and how.
Line leaders, working collaboratively with HR, need to provide oversight to
succession and development programs
and processes. Leaders routines need
to include succession planning, development and coaching in addition to the
routines they use to run the plant.
Leadership development and training programs must be seen as effective by
participants; sponsors and implementers
of these programs must continually measure effectiveness for the nuclear power
plant participant.
Leadership roles at the site need to
be viewed as desirable opportunities by
potential succession candidates. If not,
site leaders need to figure out why.

Line leader and HR roles and responsibilities should be documented, understood clearly and executed accordingly.
HR personnel assigned to talent
management and leadership development roles must be highly capable and
viewed as effective by line leaders.
Assessments of succession candidates and potential leaders need to be
conducted by trained professionals who
understand what nuclear power demands from the talent in order to be effective.
Decisions about leadership changes
and promotions should be made methodically, with adequate input from all
appropriate parties.
Overall program effectiveness reviews need to be conducted regularly, focusing on process, behavior and results.
Although these requirements may
appear demanding, the more successful utilities are following them and have
made strategic decisions to invest in the
leadership capabilities necessary to run
nuclear plants effectively.

NuScale Power has created a new kind of nuclear power plant: one that is safe, reliable, and
economical. The innovative design incorporates all of the components for steam generation and
heat exchange into a single integrated unit, the NuScale Power Module (NPM). Using up to
12 of these 50MWe (gross) NPMs, a NuScale nuclear power plant can provide 600 MWe (gross)
of safe, carbon-free, electrical generation. The compact design of the NPM allows it to be built and
assembled in a U.S. factory, then shipped to a prepared site for easy deployment. The design
eliminates many costly, complex systems while cutting-edge manufacturing cuts time and cost
of production. The result: a power source that is simultaneously safe, reliable, scalable, carbon-free,
and economical. Innovation: the Element of Nu.

NuScale Powerr
wer

nuscalepower.com
m
2015 NuScale Power, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

NEWS
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

Eletronuclear CEO arrested

on corruption charges
Eletronuclear confirmed that its chief executive on leave, Othon Luiz Pinheiro da
Silva, was arrested as part of a corruption
investigation at the utility.
Pinheiro has been on leave since April after allegations that Eletronuclear was involved
in bribery, price fixing and political kickbacks,
according to Reuters. The accusations are similar to those raised at Brazil-led oil company
Petrobras. Brazilian police arrested two people
involved with building the 1,405-MW Angra
3 nuclear power plant for Eletrobras, Reuters
said. Construction is facing repeated delays.

The 20-metric-ton simulator was built

and tested by Korea Electric Power Corp.
(KEPCO) in Korea, then taken apart and
shipped to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
where it was reassembled and put through a
second round of tests. ENEC also said the
first simulator was fully updated to make it
more specific to the environment of the 5.6GW Barakah Nuclear Power Plant. Unit 1 is
74 percent complete and is scheduled to be
finished by 2017. Unit 2 is 51 percent finished. The remaining three units will come
online in 12-month intervals.
The training center is a 7,000-squaremeter facility with classrooms, training
equipment and the latest interactive digital
workshops for students.

ENEC installs nuclear reactor

training simulator

SCE&G places CA01 module

at Summer nuclear project

July 27

July 24

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp.

(ENEC) installed a second APR-1400 nuclear reactor training simulator at its learning
center in Abu Dhabi.

South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.

(SCE&G) and its project partners placed a
2.4-million pound CA01 module at the V.C.
Summer Unit 2 site in South Carolina.

July 28

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

On July 23, 2015, workers placed the

module that will house a number of major components in the first of two new
nuclear plants at the plant site. The module is a multi-compartment steel structure within the containment vessel. It is
approximately 90 feet long, 95 feet wide,
and 80 feet high. The CA01 was assembled on-site in a 12-story Module Assembly Building. One of the worlds largest
cranes, a heavy lift derrick that stands approximately 560-feet tall, was used to lift
the module.
Approximately 3,500 CB&I (NYSE:
CBI) and Westinghouse personnel and

NEWS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

subcontractors are employed on the

site. The two, 1,117-MW are under
construction. Unit 2 is expected to be
completed by June 2019, and Unit 3 by
June 2020. Unit 1 has been operating
for more than 30 years. Click here to
watch a video of the installation.

NRC publishes
environmental report
for nuclear plant license
extension
July 23
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published its final environmental report for the two-unit
Byron nuclear power plant in Illinois.
Unit 1 is licensed to operate through
Oct. 31, 2024, and Unit 2 through Nov.
6, 2026. Plant operator Exelon (NYSE:
EXC) submitted its renewal application May 29, 2013.
The NRC published its final safety
evaluation report, detailing the staffs

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

technical review of the operating license extension application for both

units, earlier this month.
The NRC published a draft version
of the report in December.

China plans two nuclear

power plants in Iran
July 23
China said it plans to build two nuclear power plants in Iran.
Chinas reactors will be two of
four planned for Iran, according to Energy Business Review. Iran and several
world powers, including the U.S., recently agreed to let international experts have access to nuclear sites in
exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. The deal will allow Iran
to keep its uranium stockpile for 10
years.
Construction on the four additional
nuclear plants is expected to begin simultaneously in the next two to three
years. Iran is currently home of the

If you ask around, talk to peers,

and study the total life cycle of N-stamp valves,
Conval truly is the smartest choice.
Thats not marketing hype.
Thats based on decades of dramatic,
real-life experience in various nuclear power
generation applications around the world.
Check out User Group feedback, and see
if our claims are valid.
We also offer references, case studies,
a 900-page Engineering Binder, world
class engineering and technical support.
Clampseal globe valves (above),
Swivldisc gate valves (below left) and
Camseal zero-leakage, top-entry ball valves
(below center and right) are global favorites.

Please contact us today at P.O. Box 1049,

Somers CT 06071; phone 860.749.0761;
fax 860.763.3557; sales@Conval.com;

High-performance valves and accessories

for the worlds most demanding applications

NEWS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

1,000-MW Bushehr nuclear power

plant, the countrys first.

Fluor to provide
maintenance to Texas
nuclear power plant
July 23
Fluor (NYSE: FLR) was awarded a
five-year contract by Luminant to provide maintenance services to the companys 2,300-MW Comanche Peak
Nuclear Power Plant in Texas.
As part of the contract, Fluor will
provide engineering, maintenance and
modifications, and facility services for

the plant. Fluor started providing ongoing maintenance and modification

services at four of Luminants power
plants in 1984. Fluor previously serviced the Comanche Peak plant from
1991 to 2006.

Calvert Cliffs 3 nuclear

license application
withdrawn
July 22
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) accepted UniStars
withdrawal of a nuclear operating license application for a 1,500-MW
third unit at Calvert Cliffs power plant
in Maryland.
According to Nuclear Street News,
the NRC said it approved the retraction as of July 17, the article said. UniStar must now start at the beginning if
it decides to restart plans for Calvert
Cliffs 3, which is operated by Constellation Energy, a unit of Exelon (NYSE:
EXC).

The plant was going to use the Areva-designed European Pressurized Reactor (EPR), but Areva asked the NRC
in February to suspend its design certification review. Plant owner UniStar
Nuclear Energy also asked the NRC to
suspend review of the application for
a combined operating license just days
after Arevas request.

Vattenfalls nuclear, coal

assets push company in the
red
July 21
Swedish utility Vattenfall AB took a
hit to its bottom line after a huge writedown on its nuclear and coal assets.
The company said in The Wall
Street Journal that its net loss in the
second quarter ended June 30 was 25
billion kronor ($3.04 billion), up from
1.83 billion kronor ($213.5 million).
The utility said it booked a 36-billionkrona ($4.2 billion) write-down in the
quarter, including 17 billion kronor ($2

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

billion) on two nuclear reactors in Sweden that will shut down sooner than
planned, and 19 billion kronor ($2.2
billion) related to coal-fired power
plants in Germany.
Vattenfall said in the article it completed the divestment of its Danish
coal-fired power plants in the second
quarter, and is still looking to sell its
ownership shares in its German brown
coal power plants and mines by early
2016. Selling those assets should help it
reduce annual carbon emissions to 65
million tons, down from 82.3 million
tons in 2014, the article said.

Nuclear reactor developer

names VP of Corporate
Development
July 21
Terrestrial Energy named a former
Westinghouse executive to its own executive board.
Robin Rickman was named Vice
President of Corporate Development

NEWS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

on July 1. He was recently the Director

of New Reactor Projects at Westinghouse Electric Co., which includes its
small modular reactor (SMR) program.
Rickman has spent over 40 years in
the nuclear industry between the U.S.
Navy and the civilian nuclear sector.
Terrestrial Energy is a nuclear reactor vendor currently designing a molten
salt reactor scheduled for commercial
deployment in 2024.

Canadian energy plan good

for nuclear, group says
July 20
Canadas energy plan focuses on developing more oil and gas pipelines,
but the countrys nuclear industry says
it helps them fight climate change as
well.
Canadas premiers approved the Canadian Energy Strategy, which calls for
a plan to speed up regulatory decisions
in order to expand future oil sands developments and address climate change.

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

EARLY BIRD SAVINGS!

10

The premiers agreed to develop oil

pipelines and electricity grids for both
domestic use and exporting, and the
next section of the plan commits premiers to get the approvals done more
quickly. Section 9 commits the country to market diversification by exporting more oil and gas overseas.
The Canadian Nuclear Association said it believed the plan was good
for the nuclear industry. Canadas four
nuclear power plants generate about
16 percent of Canadas electricity, and
nuclear accounted for 62 percent of
Ontarios generation, according to the
IESO.
Increased use of nuclear power in
Ontario helped the province get off
coal, said CAN President John Barrett. Between 2000 and 2013, nuclear
powered electrical generation rose 20
percent, coinciding with a 27 percent
drop in coal-fired electricity. During
the same period, non-hydro renewables
increased to 3.4 percent from one percent.

Register by October 5th and save more than

$100 on Full Conference Registration.

ADVANCING CLEAN ENERGY

DECEMBER 810, 2015

LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER - CENTRAL AND NORTH HALLS

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

WWW.NUCLEARPOWERINTERNATIONAL.COM

OWNED
& PRODUCED BY:

PRESENTED BY:

Nuclear energy remains a viable, clean and safe option for meeting
the global demands around the world. Advancing clean energy
continues to be the main emphasis because of the benefits it
provides for our health, economy and environment.
Nuclear Power International provides the nuclear power industry the
perfect venue to gather, network and exchange information about
advancing clean energy in todays changing world.
SUPPORTED BY:

NUCLEUS
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

11

Chinas Nuclear Boom

BY SHARRYN DOTSON, EDITOR

uclear power in Asia is hit or miss. Reactors in Japan are

crawling to begin restart procedures for all but two of their
shut down nuclear power plants, while others are building
reactors at record speed. Even more countries want to supply reactor
technology or other products and services to establish international
ties or help keep their business afloat as their home countries delay or
end any nuclear ambitions.
Asia is a land that is quickly growing population-wise, and the rate it
is building nuclear power plants is running the same. The OECD Asia
region is expected to have a population of 204 million in 2015, and 203
million by 2020, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administra- Construction was recently completed on the Hongyanhe 6 nuclear unit.
tion (EIA)s International Energy Outlook 2014. Of that total, Japan is
expected to have a population of 125 million by 2020, down 1.5 percent
from 2015. South Koreas population is expected to even out at 49 million, according to
We dont lead any longer in new conthe EIAs data. In non-OECD countries, population is expected to increase from 3.8 bilstruction China does, said Verdigris
lion in 2015 to 4 billion by 2020. China will account for 1.38 billion of that in 2015 and
Capital Principal Andrew Paterson dur1.41 billion in 2020. Indias is 1.3 billion in 2015 and 1.38 billion over the next five years.
ing the Nuclear Infrastructure Council
The nuclear plants will help the region to keep up with an expected explosion in
Summit July 21 in Washington, D.C.
electricity demand. According to GenerationHub, China is expected to surpass the
Fukushima does not seem to have deU.S. as a nuclear power generating leader within the next quarter century.
layed the renaissance in Asia.

The country plans to increase its nuclear capacity from 23 GW to 58 GW

by 2020, with an additional 30 GW under construction, according to data from
the World Nuclear Association (WNA).
The government hopes to have 15 percent
of overall energy consumption from from

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

Energy Association
(IAEA) says nuclear contributed 2.4
percent of the total production in
2014, or 123.8 billion kWh. China
led the U.S. in total net electricity
generation in 2012
with 4.8 billion
kilowatt-hours of
generation, accordThe first of two reactors at the Taishan power project are expected to be completed
ing to data from
by year-end.
the EIA. That was
non-fossil fuel sources by 2020, and 20
up from 4.5 billion kWh in 2011.
percent by 2030, according to data from
China has also had success in building
the EIA.
an indigenous nuclear program starting
Why is it that China has not let Fuwith the development and deployment
kushima affect it as much as other counof its 1,400-MW CAP1400 pressurized
tries have? We take a look at how China
water reactor (PWR) designed by the
is using nuclear to help ease growing
State Nuclear Power Technology Corp.
pains and make cuts to emission levels.
(SNPTC) and Shanghai Nuclear EngiThe government budgeted $600 bilneering Research and Design Institute
lion to upgrade its power grid, according
(SNERDI). The reactor is based on the
to the WNA. The International Nuclear
design of Westinghouses 1,100-MW

AP1000 two-loop pressurized water reactor (PWR), which the SNPTC made
the main basis of technology development in China. There are two new
builds in China that are also using the
AP1000 design: The dual-unit Sanmen
and the six-unit Haiyang nuclear projects. CNEA estimated in May 2013 that
the construction cost for two AP1000
units at Sanmen are CNY 40.1 billion
($6.54 billion), or 16,000 Yuan/kW installed ($2,615/kW), instead of CNY
32.4 billion earlier estimated. The price
tag is expected to decrease to about
CNY 13,000/kW as more construction
and localization is achieved.
Based off the Westinghouse AP1000
design is the China Advanced Passive 1400
(CAP1400) technology, an advanced pressurized water reactor (APWR). There are
two currently under construction at the
Shidaowan 1 & 2 plant site.
China General Nuclear designed the
1,080-MW ACPR1000 reactor, which
recently broke ground at the Hongyanhe
6 project site. The unit had to undergo

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

12

additional safety checks and licensing after the March 2011 Fukushima accident.
CGN received the approval from the National Development and Reform Commission on March 10 to build units 5 & 6,
according to WNA. SNPTC, in addition
to designing the CAP1400, started the
pre-study of the CAP1700 reactor.
Agreements between SNPTC and
Westinghouse say that SNPTC would

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

own all intellectual property rights for

any derivatives over 1,350 MW, WNA
said. SNPEC is performing the engineering with a team from SNERDI, the Shandong Electric Power Engineering Consulting Institute, and the State Nuclear Power
Equipment Manufacturing Co.
Prior to 2008, the government had
planned to increase nuclear generating capacity to 40 GW by 2020 (out of a total
1000 GW planned), with a further 18 GW
nuclear being under construction then, according to WNA. After the Fukushima accident, and due to increased projections for
nuclear power, the State Council in October 2012 set the target for 60 GW by 2020,
with 30 GW under construction.
By around 2040, installation of PWRs
is expected to level off at 200 GW and
fast reactors progressively increase from
2020 to at least 200 GW by 2050 and
1400 GW by 2100, WNA said.
The National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) under the China
Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) is
the licensing and regulatory body that

also maintains international agreements regarding safety. It reports to the

State Council directly. In relation to the
AP1000, NNSA works closely with the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
said the WNA.
NNSA is responsible for licensing all
nuclear reactors and other facilities, safety inspections and reviews of them, operational regulations, licensing transport
of nuclear materials, waste management,
and radiation protection. It is responsible
for environment impact assessment of
nuclear projects. The licensing approval
process starts at the approval of siting,
then the construction permit, which is
usually issued 12 months before the first
concrete is poured. Next is the permit
for fuel loading, then approval and issuance of the operating license.
Though China has obviously pushed
forward with new builds, the Fukushima
accident did slow down progress for a bit.
The State Council announced five days
after the March 11, 2011 accident that it
would suspend approvals for new nuclear

plants and begin safety checks of both operational and planned nuclear plants. The
council also suspended work on four approved units due to start construction the
same year. Two of those projectsFuqing
4 and Yangjiang 4began construction in
late 2012. WNA data says inspections of
the operating plants took three months,
and inspections of planned units were
completed by October.
China has also taken major steps in
achieving high safety standards. China
has hosted 12 Operational Safety Review Team missions from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
to October 2011, and each power plant
has had one external safety review every
year through OSART, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)
peer review, and peer reviews from the
Canadian National Energy Alliance in
partnership with the Research Institute
for Nuclear Power Operations, according
to WNA. The NNSA is also part of the
ASEAN+3 Forum on Nuclear Safety.
Nuclear work in China does not

>

13

JULY/AUGUST 2015

appear to be slowing anytime soon, especially with a growing supply chain and
aggressive plans for more power generation in the nation. The country is open
for business, and other nations are looking to partner on projects. Its no wonder
that publications and industry groups
have said China is a leader when it comes
to building new reactors.

REGISTER
TODAY!
WWW.NUCLEARPOWERINTERNATIONAL.COM

ADVANCING CLEAN ENERGY

DECEMBER 810, 2015

LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER - CENTRAL AND NORTH HALLS

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
OWNED & PRODUCED BY:

PRESENTED BY:

SUPPORTED BY:

NUCLEUS
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

14

Decommissioning Challenges
BY SHARRYN DOTSON, EDITOR

decommissioning project at a nuclear power plant is unlike any other

power generation project. There are so many factors to deal with that
are not seen in traditional power plants. Workers have to process highly
irradiated equipment and wait decades for radiation levels to drop to safe levels so
humans can even enter the facility.
Because of these unique factors, special tools and equipment are needed. In addition, tearing down a nuclear power plant takes a lot of pre-planning so the process can
go smoothly and any unforeseen hiccups can be dealt with promptly. That is not to
say that there still wont be roadblocks along the way that could potentially hamper
the project. Companies around the world must deal with issues in construction and
engineering before the plant can be permanently shut down.

VATTENFALL
Germany chose to shut down nuclear power in the country by 2022 at an estimated
cost of 70 billion euros ($75.2 billion). As of June 28, 2015, eight nuclear power
plants in the country are generating more than 11 GW of electricity, according to the
German Atomic Forum website.
There are four nuclear operators in Germany: E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall. The companies currently operate eight reactors with a total generating capacity
of 20,339 MW, according to data from the World Nuclear Association. Eight other
reactors were immediately shut down in 2011 following the Fukushima accident.

Vattenfalls Brunsbttel Nuclear Power Plant in Germany was one of the eight first shut down in 2011.

Sweden-based Vattenfall owns shares

in three nuclear plants: Brunsbttel,
Krmmel and Brokdorf. In 2012, the
company applied to decommission and
dismantle the Brunsbttel nuclear plant.
The 771-MW boiling water reactor
(BWR) was one of the eight first shut
down in 2011.

Vattenfall and the other operators

have said clarification is needed in radioactive waste storage.
Clarity with regard to several facets of the Federal Final Storage Facility
for low- and medium-radioactive waste
Schacht Konrad is needed urgently,
Khberger said.

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

VERMONT YANKEE
NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
One challenge in decommissioning in
the U.S. is the regulatory paperwork that
must be completed before the project
can begin, according to Paul Paradis, Director of Decommissioning for Entergy
over the Vermont Yankee nuclear power
plant. Vermont Yankee ceased operations in December 2014 and is in the beginning stages of decommissioning.
The biggest challenge, Paradis said, is
that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)s regulations are geared
toward operating nuclear plants.
There are very little regulations that
address a decommissioned site, Paradis
said. Its a very large licensing burden
to work through those issues with the
NRC. Paradis said Entergy was fortunate to have about an 18- to 24-month
lead to prepare, but it was still an intensive process.
Paradis said another challenge is that
Entergy was planning the closure while
the plant was still operating.

Its tough to focus when 600 people

know their jobs are going away in 15
months, Paradis said. From a safety culture perspective, thats a large challenge.
Entergy is currently in the planning
phase as workers wait for radiation levels to decrease, but the fuel has been
offloaded and placed in the spent fuel
pool since the end of January. Workers
have drained and laid up systems and removed hazards like oil, spent resins, and
asbestos from buildings and systems. Entergy has also put buildings and systems
in dormant phase so they dont have to
be maintained, saving the decommissioning trust fund money.
Entergy reduced its operating staff
from approximately 550 to 316 in January and reduced security staff as well.
The security plan changes in decommissioning because the security
force switches from protecting the plant
to protecting just the spent fuel pool,
Paradis said. If Entergy did not have a
post-shutdown plan submitted the year
before decommissioning started, they

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

15

would not have

been able to destaff per regulations.
Workers
have loaded 13
canisters with
spent fuel and
stored
them
on an existing
storage pad. A
second pad is
scheduled for
completion by
the end of 2017.
From 2017 and
is in the beginning stages of decommissioning the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power
2020, workers Entergy
Plant. Courtesy: Entergy.
plan to take the
rest of the fuel and put it on the second
$143 million is for capital costs to build
pad, dependent on when they receive
the second storage pad and buy additionthe Certificate of Public Good from the
al dry casks. The Vermont Yankee trust
state of Vermont.
currently has $665 million with a 2 perParadis said decommissioning is excent annual rate, as allowed by the NRC.
pected to cost $1.2 billion by current esEntergy took out a line of credit for the
timates, which includes $368 million for
$145 million to pay for the storage pad
spent fuel management. Of that total,
and then will sue the U.S. Department

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

of Energy to recoup the money instead

of using the trust fund. The utility will
also auction off equipment, tools and
other supplies and machinery to other
sites to bring in money.

HUMBOLDT BAY NUCLEAR PLANT

On the other side of the U.S., another
nuclear reactor is being decommissioned. The 63-MW Humboldt Bay
Unit 3 was shut down in 1976 for refueling, maintenance, and seismic upgrades.
However, the event at Three Mile Island
happened, which required the addition
of new plant systems to continue operations. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E)
said they would permanently close the
unit in 1983 due to economics of these
new requirements. The unit was placed
in SAFSTOR in 1988 said Loren Sharp,
Director and Nuclear Plant Manager for
Humboldt Bay with PG&E.
Twenty years later, the spent fuel was
moved into the first US underground dry
cask storage designed and built on site
and some nuclear system infrastructure

removal started in 2009, Sharp said. The

actual decommissioning of the nuclear
plant began in 2010.
Sharp said the project required a lot
of pre-planning and logistics, particularly
with construction of the 163-MW generating station and startup of the plant prior
to shutting down and decommissioning
two existing fossil-fueled units on site.
We asked for decommissioning control of all the plants so there wouldnt
be any emergency access or logistical
issues, Sharp said. The land for the
new generating station was remediated
and separated from the rest of the infrastructure. Humboldt Bay is now home
to ten, 16.3-MW Wrtsil gas-fired engines that power the new plant that began operations in 2010. Units 1 and 2
were retired in 2010.
The reactor was built 80 feet underground, which created a unique set of
challenges, Sharp said. The unit was built
in a caisson structure below ground. The
caisson included a BWR vessel inside of a
drywell containment. Since the structure

is underground, removal of caisson with

adjacent water from Humboldt Bay, as
well as ground pressure from adjacent
soil, creates issues in removing portions
of caisson concrete structure. When the
plant was first built, the concrete forms
were built on the ground and concrete
sections poured, then water jetting was
used to sink the caisson to 80 feet below
ground. The unit was also built in a
location that was eventually identified as
a potentially high seismic area as knowledge increased on tectonic plates in this
region.
We obviously didnt want any safety
challenges from seismic or flooding issues
as we remove the underground caisson so
a cutter- soil- mix wall is being used to
provide water cutoff wall as well as shoring support prior to caisson removal,
Sharp said. This wall connecting to a
clay layer 170 feet below grade will provide a bucket around caisson to address
potential flooding and seismic challenges.
While our CSM is a little deeper than
most it is a technique that has been used

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

16

in other areas of the world.

Another issue was location. The
plant is about five hours north of San
Francisco, has no rail access and is fairly
isolated.
Its tough to get large equipment to
the site quickly, Sharp said. Additionally, its also hard to get and keep talent
in this small community. Sharp said
some specialty jobs are plentiful, but
there arent enough people to fill them,
especially when there are projects in bigger cities that use these specialty worker
skills.
Flexibility is key in planning a decommissioning project. You have to be
ready to use alternative strategies, and
you may have to change your approach,
Sharp said. It is similar to having a 30day refueling outage that lasts for 8 to
10 years. Sharp said it is integral to have
eight to 10 years of full time outage
planned. You can plan for next three
years from now and adapt or refine your
plans as you progress each year, Sharp
said.

NUCLEUS
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

17

Benefits of Steel-Plate Composite (SC) Construction for

Improved Resiliency of Nuclear Power Plant Structures
BY SANJ MALUSHTE, PHD, PE, SE, CENG, F.ASCE
BECHTEL FELLOW AND TECHNOLOGY MANAGER

here is renewed interest in nuclear power in the United States and the world
over because of growing concerns regarding global warming and over-dependence on fossil fuels. Significant level of new nuclear power plant construction
has been ongoing for the past several years, and the trend is expected to grow further.
For this trend to be sustained, the high costs and prolonged schedules associated with
nuclear power plant construction must be reduced so that nuclear power remains a viable alternative to other power generation sources. Also, since construction of nuclear
plants involves significant labor-intensive concrete related construction activities, concerns about potential field labor shortages and associated cost escalations need to be
addressed because construction could be underway for multiple numbers of projects.
The nuclear power industry is currently exploring new and innovative approaches to reduce design, construction, and commissioning costs of new power plants. It
appears likely that the use of modular mechanical and structural components will
provide the single most significant area of cost and schedule savings for the next generation of power plants. This paper addresses the design, fabrication, handling, and installation issues associated with large steel-plate composite (SC) construction and the
resiliency benefits it provides. SC construction requires prefabricated steel-plate type.
The steel faceplates serve as formwork during concrete placement and, and through
composite action enabled by shear connectors they also serve as equivalent reinforcing

steel (rebar) during the service life of the

structure. The use of faceplates thus
eliminates formwork and rebar while facilitating fabrication of large empty modules that can be brought to their final
location in the field for expeditious and
labor-friendly concrete placement. Such
modular composite construction approach has already been incorporated by
some standard plant suppliers, and now
with the advent of the first US consensus
standard for its design, SC construction
usage is likely to expand further.

BACKGROUND
Nuclear power plant construction involves extensive use of reinforced concrete. As a result, the construction schedule has been traditionally prolonged due

to extensive and complex rebar cage

fabrication, erection, and disassembly of
elaborate concrete formwork. A report
by the US Department of Energy conservatively estimates that use of steel-concrete (SC) composite modules in place
of conventional reinforced concrete can
reduce total construction time by at least
2 to 3 months. SC modules typically
have steel on the outside to act as stayin-place formwork and equivalent rebar,
thus eliminating the associated labor and
schedule-intensive activities. Extensive
use of prefabrication and modular construction in Asian power plants has already significantly expedited construction times and reduced overall costs. In
Japan, use of modular techniques has
demonstrated that the total construction

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

time can be reduced to about 4 years for

new plants, compared to a typical duration of 5 to 6 years. Four-year construction duration is also the target for the upcoming new generation of nuclear plants
in the US.
In terms of actual deployment, the
Japanese have been farthest along with
regard to use of modules. During the
1990s, construction of Tokyo Electric
Power Companys (TEPCOs) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Units 6 and 7 using Toshibas Advanced Boiling Water Reactor
(ABWR) standard plant was performed
very expeditiously using cable tray modules, large bore piping modules, large
equipment modules, and some structural
modules, primarily involving large rebar
assemblies for slabs and basemat. Some
of the construction involved use of steel
faceplates as stay-in-place formwork, but
without shear connectors to enable composite action. Thus while still impressive, the modular approach for Toshiba
ABWR plants was not focused on use of
SC walls and floors, which would have

further reduced the construction duration.

Westinghouse Electric Corporation
(WEC) has been designing SC modules
for walls and floors of its AP1000 plant
internal structures for a number of years
and was the first to incorporate them in
a certified design. A typical wall module
panel for the AP1000 plant containment
internal structures is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2 shows a typical floor module
panel (floor modules are called half-SC
modules because the steel plate is only
on the bottom side). Figure 3 shows a
pre-assembled internal structure module. WEC later extended the use of SC
modules beyond internal structures to
the shield building to make it viable for
aircraft impact as a beyond-design-basis
event.

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF SC MODULES
To be effective as SC systems, the modules need to have the following attributes:
1. Ability to resist construction loads

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

18

(e.g., wet concrete pressure

Face Plate (typ)
load and rigging / handling
C6
load); this is typically accomL 4X3
Headed
studs
plished using some sort of
tying system such as vertical
ladders in Westinghouses internal modules or intermittently welded tie-bars that
connect the faceplates.
2. Ability to provide composite action between concrete
and steel faceplates; this is
typically achieved by providing shear connectors, such as
headed studs.
Many types of SC systems
can thus be developed using different types of tying system and FIGURE 1. TYPICAL STRUCTURAL WALL MODULE IN AP1000 PLANT
shear connectors. However, the (REF. 4)
following parameters are key
differentiators for efficient SC design:
1. Ease of Modularity: Ability to join incessive field labor and too much of redividual SC panels to form large modinforced concrete type joint detailing
ules without requiring excessive labor
(the less rebar the better)
2. Ease of Jointability: Ability to join ad3. Strength and Stiffness for Rigging and
joining modules without requiring exHandling

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

19

4. Strength and Stiffness for Wet Concrete Loads

5. Ability for Large Scale Fabrication/Assembly of Modules

BEHAVIOR AS CONCRETE
FILLED STEEL STRUCTURE.
In Japan, the Japan Electric Association
has developed JEAG-4618, a design
guide for design of SC structures such
as internal structures and exterior shear
walls. The guide has been based on a
body of significant supporting testing and
analytical research, primarily carried out
in Japan over the past fifteen or so years.
This guide has been utilized by WEC for
alternate verification of its Shield Building design.
Since 2005, Korea Electric Power Research Institute (KEPRI), Korea Hydro
and Nuclear Power (KHNP), and Korea
Power Engineering Company (KOPEC)
have been working together with the
Korean Society of Steel Construction
(KSSC) and Korean academia to develop,

FIGURE 2. TYPICAL STRUCTURAL FLOOR MODULE IN AP1000 PLANT (REF. 4)

test, and design their own SC structural

modules. This has been a significant undertaking involving numerous tests and
analyses. The Korean approach involves
use of ribbed wall panels for improved
stiffness and strength. A 3-year program
for testing and standard development has
been underway since September 2005.
Bulletin author Sanj Malushte has been
serving in an advisory role to KSSC for
this program. The Korean modular system will be used in the Korean Standard

Plant APR1400, which will be

constructed at Shin Kori Units 3
and 4.
Outside of the nuclear industry, the promise of SC structures
FIGURE 3. EXAMPLE OF LARGE PRE-ASSEMBLED MODULE IN
has been recognized in other ap- AP1000 PLANT (REF. 4)
plications. For seismic shear wall
applications, the AISC code thus far
used in ordinary buildings where the
conservatively stipulates that the wall
wall thickness is small. Shear walls for
strength be based on steel contribution
tall buildings in moderate/high seismic
alone, which is a reasonable assumpapplications have been designed as SC
tion for typical SC walls that could be
walls (although not necessarily with a

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

significant modular approach).

KOPEC is evaluating the Bi-Steel system for application to some modules in
the APR1400 standard plant. MHI has
incorporated SC use in its APWR standard plant. Various small modular reactor (SMR) vendors are either already
incorporating SC construction in their
design or actively exploring it.
Joint design in SC modules is an important topic that warrants careful consideration. This is especially important
for field joints (e.g., wall-to-floor and
wall-to-basemat joints) to ensure expediency. WEC has been finalizing joint details during the last couple of years; this
effort has been a topic of interest to the
NRC. Wall-to-floor joint design has not
been fully evaluated in the Bechtel system; it is envisioned that it will involve
minimal field welding.
The successful use of modular SC
components in the US will depend on the
ability of subcontractors and suppliers to
retool and meet the projected demand
associated with resumption of nuclear

power plant construction as well as the

demand brought about by new prefabrication methods. In particular, the industry would have to procure facilities with
a combination of sufficient capacity and
the ability to handle very large assemblies. Among alternatives being considered, large steel modules could be built
in shipyards for subsequent transport
over water to construction sites. This approach would take advantage of current
fabrication and assembly infrastructure
with the added benefit of bolstering a
diminishing domestic maritime industry. For sites with limited barge access,
an onsite fabrication shop can be built;
however, this could limit the module
sizes. In such cases, a modular approach
with field bolting (and minimum welding) will be necessary to maximize the
benefits of SC construction. The Bechtel
modular wall system holds this advantage over all other options.
Advantages of Modular Composite
Construction
The following advantages are generic

to all types of modular composite construction:

Steel plates, acting as forms, enable
prefabrication of large, ready-forplacement modules.
Elimination of rebar and formwork
minimizes field labor and reduces
schedule duration.
Increased shielding capability enables
a 5 to 10 percent reduction in wall
thickness, reducing some concrete
quantity.
Quality of placed concrete is generally
superior, as there are no problems associated with rebar congestion.
Concrete presence between steel plates
ensures very good fire resistance.
Penetrations can be handled easily
during initial construction.
Minor/moderate attachments to skin
plates can be easily handled (e.g., for
small pipe and conduit supports).
In-plane membrane (axial and shear)
strength and ductility are improved.
Improved stiffness and high resistance
to blast loads and missiles are realized.

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

20

The Bechtel modular composite system offers the following additional advantages:
The Bechtel systems higher resistance
to out-of-plane shear forces eliminates
the need for any special shear reinforcement.
Smaller panels/assemblies (transported on a trailer bed) can be field-bolted
together quickly to form large readyto-place modules, with minimal welding required.
Steel plate thickness can be reduced
0.25 inch to 0.3125 inch, compared
with that of other schemes.
Minimal welding ensures less warping, lower residual stresses, and better
tolerance control.
Attachments with large baseplates can
be handled easily (i.e., no field drilling,
rebar cutting, field-welding, and holetemplating are necessary).
Attachment loads are transferred to
the entire wall unit, as opposed to a localized area of an individual skin plate.
Penetrations can be handled easily

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

during initial construction as well as

in service life.

PREFABRICATION ISSUES
Prefabricating large modules is desirable
to increase the benefit of SC construction.
For approaches involving a significant
amount of shop welding (true for most
schemes except the Bechtel system), prefabrication of large modules would ideally
be accomplished at a shipyard facility in
preparation for module delivery by barge
to the construction site. Even if access to
existing shipyards is available, delivery
by barge can be a problem because many
candidate sites do not have barge access.
In such cases, an onsite fabrication shop
could be set up; however, this may result
in smaller module sizes and/or the prospect of some field welding having to be
performed at the final installed location.
Excessive use of welds is another concern
because it could lead to warping of steel
plates and fit-up problems (as well as residual stresses). It is noteworthy that such
problems are not a factor in the Bechtel

modular system, which employs maximum field bolting so that smaller panels/
modules can be easily brought together
to form a giant assembly in the field (or
at the installed location). The Bechtel approach will also not require access to a
shipyard or barge.
As for the scale of modules, WECs efforts are by far the most ambitious, with
some modules weighing a few to several
hundred tons. WEC has partnered with
the Shaw Group; it remains to be seen
how Shaw will be able to produce/deliver
WECs modules at sites such as Vogtle, V.
C. Summer, and Bellefonte. It is not clear
if Bechtel will acquire any scope of work
related to the ESBWR modules (e.g., at
North Anna). In any case, Bechtel should
monitor the progress of the various prefabrication activities to position itself for
future business in this area (in the AISC
committee, Bechtel expects to receive
informal feedback from the Southern
Nuclear representative on how WEC/
Shaw are progressing at Vogtle).

RIGGING/HANDLING ISSUES
It is important that the modules be designed for anticipated handling and rigging loads. Empty modules generally
lack strength and stiffness; therefore, adequate strength and stiffness need to be
designed into the system by considering/
stipulating the anticipated handling/rigging loads. Since many modules are very
heavy, specialized care and rigging supervision will be needed at the site to ensure safe handling. During the Sanmen/
Yongjiang bid, WEC requested Bechtel
to assume design/analysis responsibility for handling of empty modules. The
Bechtel team determined that this was a
serious engineering task requiring many
thousands of engineering hours.
For the Bechtel modular system, modules could come by way of panels approximately 8 feet wide by 20 to 40 feet long
that can be field-bolted together to form a
larger module. Handling strength/stability of such panels has been demonstrated
as part of the Bechtel technical grant.
Larger assemblies, if rigged/handled as a

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

21

single unit, may need to be fitted with

special eyepads and studied further for
their strength/stability. It is expected
that large modules based on the Bechtel
concept will not have a problem in this
regard.
The AISC committee for modular
construction will develop rules for construction loads (including rigging and
concrete placement loads) and associated
acceptance criteria.

CONCRETE PLACEMENT ISSUES

Unlike conventional concrete construction, the steel plates used in modular
composite construction act as stay-inplace formwork; this means that the
surface of finished concrete (against the
steel plate) cannot be inspected. This
circumstance raises a concern about
the quality of concrete placement, in
particular, whether surface honeycombing has occurred. This same concern is also associated with concretefilled steel tube (CFT) construction;
however, the building industry has

NUCLEUS

CONTINUED
NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

become more accustomed to this approach. The concern for honeycombing

is largely offset by the fact that modular composite structures contain little
in the way of rebar (rebar congestion
near concrete surfaces is a major cause
of honeycombing).
Nowadays, use of self-consolidating
concrete (SCC) is advocated for applications in which normal consolidation
activities are difficult (especially due to
rebar congestion and hard-to-reach locations). Although not necessary, use of
SCC is a possible option to ensure high
quality of placed concrete inside SC modules, especially in wall-to-floor and wallto-basemat joint locations where some
congestion is possible. The use of SCC
will need to be considered on a case-bycase basis, as SCC is not yet a widely accepted practice in the US.
The rate of concrete placement,
which affects the magnitude of wet
concrete pressure, is another parameter
that must be controlled (as in any other
concrete construction). Typically, the

steel plates are good for 10 psi pressure

when acting as forms (a design parameter in itself). Excessive pressure not
only causes high stresses in the plates,
but can also lead to excessive permanent deformation (bulging) that can
be undesirable from both aesthetic
and functional standpoints (in terms of
making baseplate attachments). A pour
rate of 6 to 8 feet per hour will typically
ensure that a 10 psi pressure limit will
not be exceeded unless the concrete is a
very slow-setting type and/or placement
temperatures are low.
Concrete drop height is another
consideration. The quickest method of
concrete placement for modular wall
construction is use of a simple drop technique that also ensures good consolidation. A drop height of 10 to 20 feet is
recommended. Specially located pour
ports will likely be needed if the module
height exceeds 20 feet. Smaller aggregate
size, made from hard rock, is preferable
to ensure good placement using the drop
technique. Concrete placement using

the Tremie method is another option

for modular composite construction;
however, the associated cost and slower
placement pace means that it should be
used only in situations where the drop
method cannot ensure high quality (e.g.,
in potentially congested areas, such as
wall-to-floor and wall-to-basemat joint
locations).
No special curing is needed for modular walls, since the presence of surface
plates prevents loss of moisture (as is
common for conventional concrete). For
floors, only the top surface requires curing, since the bottom surface has steel
plate.
Cold weather concreting operations
must be carefully performed when executing SC construction, since the steel
plates, which act as formwork, could be
subject to very cold temperatures. In addition to taking typical cold weather concreting precautions, field personnel will
need to directly monitor the temperature of steel plates to assure good concrete quality.

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

22

RESILIENCY
Higher Impact Resistance
Higher Blast Resistance
Higher Strength and Ductility for
Beyond-Design-Basis Loads (e.g.,
seismic)
Leaktightness
Increased Durability/Protection of
Concrete

SUSTAINABILITY
Less water use since minimal/zero
need for concrete curing
Less field labor force requirement
(and hence environmentally friendly)
Easier to use green concrete or cement
substitutes (e.g., fly ash, pozzolans)
since the associated impact on increased setting time for concrete does
not pose a problem in SC construction
Reduced/Minimal need for compaction during concrete placement as
free-fall placement method produces
high quality concrete pours
Leaktightness eliminates need for
water-stops, etc.

Plan today to attend NUCLEAR POWER International in Orlando, Florida,

U.S.A., Dec. 8-10, 2015. Register at www.nuclearpowerinternational.com.
S

AUGUST 2015

TH

10 11 12 13 14 15

16

17 18 19 20 21 22

23

24 25 26 27 28 29

30

31

TH

SEPTEMBER 2015
6

NUCLEAR POWER INTERNATIONAL

>

JULY/AUGUST 2015

23

1
2

NUCLEAR EVENTS

10 11 12

13

14 15 16 17 18 19

20

21 22 23 24 25 26

27

28 29 30

9-12
ANS
2015 Utility Working Conference
and Vendor Technology Expo
Omni Amelia Island Plantation
Amelia Island, FL
http://uwc.ans.org/

Aug. 30-Sept. 4
16th International Topical Meeting on
Nuclear Reactor Thermalhydraulics
(NURETH-16)
Hyatt Regency Chicago
Chicago, IL
http://nureth16.anl.gov/

13-17
International Conference on Nuclear
Criticality Safety (ICNC2015)
Omni Charlotte Hotel
Charlotte, NC
http://ncsd.ans.org/site/icnc2015.htm

16-18
Fire Protection Information Forum
Arizona Grand
Phoenix, AZ
http://www.nei.org/Conferences/Fire-Protection-Information-Forum

15-16
IAEA
Atoms in Industry Radiation
Technology for Development
IAEA Headquarters
Vienna, Austria
http://www-pub.iaea.org/iaeameetings/46532/Scientifc-Forum-Atoms-in-Industry-Radiation-Technology-for-Development