ACADs (08-006) Covered

1.3.2.1

4.2.7.12.19

Keywords
Emergency Diesel Generator, components, drawings.
Description
Supporting Material

NUET 230 EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

The purpose of this class is to familiarize students with Emergency

Diesel Generators.
We will use various drawings of the EMERGENCY DIESEL
GENERATORS at Fermi 2 as the primary tools to learn this system.

EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

TERMINAL OBJECTIVE
Students will understand the EMERGENCY DIESEL
GENERATORS, its major components and flowpaths

EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

ENABLING OBJECTIVES

State the purpose of the EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS, including

its importance to nuclear safety.
Using a simplified diagram, identify and explain the purpose of the major
components and equipment of the EMERGENCY DIESEL
GENERATORS.
Describe the Maintenance Policies used for EDG maintenance

EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

Purposes of the EMERGENCY POWER (EAC) system

The purpose of the EDG is to provide a reliable on-site source of
AC electrical power to maintain the ability to safely shutdown the
reactor under all conditions, including a LOCA coincident with a
Loss of Offsite Power (LOP)

EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

Basic system description:
The EDGs start automatically upon receipt of LOCA and/or LOOP signal
and reach rated speed and voltage within 10 seconds. However, the EDGs
breakers will not automatically close to the plants electrical bus network
unless either a LOOP and/or loss of EDG bus voltage occurs. If a LOOP
and/or loss of EDG bus voltage occur an automatic sequencer will load the
EDGs in an orderly manner to avoid overloading and damaging the
equipment. Only the loads necessary for safe shutdown are automatically
loaded to the EDG.
The system consists of four EDG units separated into two independent
divisions. Each division containing two EDGs supplies power to the
essential loads of its respective bus. Either divisional pair is capable of
supplying loads needed for safe shutdown of the reactor. Each EDG is
supplied with its own supporting systems such that any single failure of an
EDG supporting system will not affect the remaining EDGs.

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EDG Ventilation equipment:
Air Intake and Exhaust System - Supplies compressed air to the cylinders
for combustion, and scavenging air to remove the exhaust gases from the
previous cylinder stroke to the atmosphere
Flowpath
Air is drawn from the outside through a intake filter and silencer via the
compressor side of the turbocharger.
Major Equipment:
Intake Air Filter - The dry filter removes objects from the intake air stream
to prevent damage to the turbocharger and blower.
Intake Silencer - Reduces the noise caused by the flow of the intake air.
Turbocharger - The turbocharger pressurizes the inlet of the main blower
to increasing engine efficiency.

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Diesel engines run at higher compression pressure than
gasoline engines. Where the highest compression for most
high performance gasoline engines is close to 200 psi, diesel
runs almost 3 times that pressure. As a consequence, more
heat is generated putting extra demands on the engine cooling
system. Study shows diesel engines usually fail 50% more on
cooling related problems because it cannot stand prolong
overheating. This is why the cooling system is a high
maintenance issue.
Unlike the gas engines, diesel engine has no electrical ignition
parts like plugs, wires and moving part like distributor rotor
which is subject to wear. These parts have a limited life and
have to be changed on regular basis.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

Since diesel engines use a lot of air, greater attention is paid to the
engine air filtration. Operators closely monitor air filter differential
pressure and ensure filter cleaning / replacement is performed when
needed. Cooling this air is also critical especially because the engine
is turbocharged. High end diesel engines are fitted with after-coolers to
cool the air from turbo charger.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

To prevent engine cylinder block scoring, avoid prolonged idle
operation of diesel engines.
The EDGs will typically be loaded within 10 minutes or less of a test
start.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

Remarks by Jeffrey S. Merrifield, Commissioner
U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission July 24, 2006
On August 14, 2003, I was the Acting Chairman on what I thought was
going to be just another routine day at the NRC. I had a series of
scheduled meetings that day, including a briefing on grid reliability,
where the staff discussed the trends in loss of offsite power events at
nuclear power plants. The staff informed me that the number of these
events was decreasing, which was encouraging. They also mentioned,
however, that the duration of individual events was tending to be
longer.
Around 4:00 p.m. that afternoon, Bill Travers, the EDO at that time,
came into my office and informed me that the staff was assembling in
our Operations Center in response to the automatic shutdown of
several nuclear plants in the Northeast and Midwest. At that time, we
did not know whether it was caused by multiple operational events or,
perhaps by a coordinated act of terrorism.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

As information continued to pour in the rest of the afternoon and into
the evening hours, we came to learn that nine nuclear power plants in
the U.S., as well as 11 in Canada, and a host of coal-fired power
plants had been disconnected from the grid because of electrical
instabilities, resulting in the blackout of major portions of the Northeast
and Midwest in the U.S. and parts of Canada. In fact, virtually every
power plant east of the Mississippi experienced voltage swings of
variable amplitude, though plants further from the Northeast corridor
saw only minor voltage perturbations.
By the next morning, after a long night at the Ops Center, we were
only beginning to understand the magnitude of the blackout. I
participated in several conference calls, including calls with the White
House Situation Room, to discuss the causes of the event with the
staff of the National Security Council as well as various Cabinet
members.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

As you all know, after a nuclear power plant shuts down, it cannot just
be restarted at the flip of a switch. Components in several systems
must be realigned, those systems must be walked down to confirm
their readiness, and the reactor operators must go through a checklist
before pulling control rods to restart the nuclear reaction. It typically
takes between eight and 24 hours for a reactor to restart after it trips
offline. In addition, after a station blackout event, the transmission line
operators must also ensure the grid is ready before the plant can close
its generator output breaker and resume supplying power to the grid.
There are a number of steps required to restore electrical power once
the grid has gone down. That being said, most of the nuclear power
plants were restarted within a few days and the grid returned to
normal.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

So, what caused the event? We would eventually find that poor
maintenance of transmission lines including tree trimming, lack of
sensor and relay repair or replacement, poor maintenance of control
room alarms, poor communications between load dispatchers and
power plant operators, and a lack of understanding of transmission
system interdependencies were all major contributors to the domino
effect that resulted in plant after plant tripping off line because of the
collapse of the electrical grid.
This event was truly a wake-up call for the North American
transmission system operators as well as electricity generating
companies

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WHY DOES NRC CARE ABOUT GRID STABILITY?
Nuclear power reactors must be cooled continuously, even when shut
down. The numerous pumps and valves in the reactor cooling systems
therefore must have access to electrical power at all times, even if the
normal power supply from the grid is degraded or completely lost.
As a regulator, we want to minimize the time a nuclear power plant is
subjected to a complete loss of offsite power, otherwise known as
Station Blackout. Even though plants are designed with emergency
diesel generators to supply power to pumps and valves that keep the
reactor cool when normal power is lost, we do not like to challenge
those diesel generators any more than is absolutely necessary.
The NRC was concerned about grid reliability long before the 2003
blackout event.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

On August 12, 1999, while the Callaway plant (in Missouri) was offline
in a maintenance outage, the plant saw the offsite power supply
voltage fall below minimum requirements for a 12-hour period. The
voltage drop they observed was caused by peak levels of electrical
loading and the transport of large amounts of power on the grid
adjacent to Callaway. The licensee noted that the deregulated
wholesale power market contributed to conditions where higher grid
power flows were likely to occur in the area near Callaway. Alliant
Energy had to spend ten's of millions of dollars to install new
transformers with automatic tap changers to keep voltage above
minimum requirements, and capacitor banks to improve the reactive
power (volt-amps reactive, or VARs) factor in the Callaway switchyard.

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As a result of deregulation, many electric utilities were split into electric
generating companies and transmission and distribution companies. Thus,
nuclear power plants now must rely on outside entities to maintain the
switchyard voltage within acceptable limits. Over time, some transmission
companies have become less sensitive to the potential impacts that grid
voltage can have on nuclear plant operations. A big part of our risk-informed
regulatory strategy depends on plants having access to reliable offsite
power. We assume that there will be very few times when a plant will be
subjected to a total loss of offsite power, and when such condition exists it
will be for a relatively short period of time (hours or days rather than weeks).
Our strategy of allowing more on-line maintenance to be performed on
certain important safety equipment such as the emergency diesel
generators makes sense as long as the risk of a plant trip remains very low
during the period of time that equipment is out of service. This philosophy
relies on the fact that a total loss of offsite power is a rare occurrence that
will be corrected in a short period of time.
END OF NRC COMMENTS

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

Engine Construction
Cylinder Block - A "shock qualified," precision-welded steel
block designed for structural rigidity and a design life
exceeding 40 years. Dry block construction eliminates
leakage and extends frame life. Large access openings at
five levels in the engine improve maintenance.
Turbocharging - High-efficiency turbocharging and pulse
manifolding improves cylinder scavenging, thereby
improving efficiency and lowering emissions. Optional TurboBlower Series design provides fast-starting and high-load
acceptance capability, ideal for combination emergency
stand-by and peak shaving applications.

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Engine Construction
Cylinder Liners - Two pistons inside the cylinder liner form
the combustion space, eliminating cylinder heads, valves,
and associated hardware. Compared to other engine
designs, Opposed Piston engines have less than half the
moving parts.
Pistons, Bearings, and Connecting Rods - Upper and lower
piston assemblies may be removed from the lower
crankcase, simplifying maintenance procedures. Connecting
rods are forged from high-tensile-strength alloy steel. Due to
the Opposed Piston's two-stroke cycle design and
conservative operating speed (900 and 1000 rpm),
aluminum alloy main and rod bearing life is extended.

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

In a nutshell, a synchroscope
is a device used in AC
electrical power systems that
indicates the degree to which
two sources of power (power
systems, generators, bus ties,
etc.) are synchronized with
each other. Synchroscopes
measure and display the
differences in frequency
(speed) and time phase
between the two power
sources. This photo shows
two sources in synch, each
with matched voltages, in this
case a 13,800 volt main bus
circuit and a generator.

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Concerning the start up of a US *60HZ AC generator (*60HZ= 3600rpm); if
the generator is turning at a lower frequency than the circuit that it is to be
connected to, the synchroscope indicator will spin continually on the slow
side, in a counterclockwise direction, until the speed of the generator is
increased. The slower the speed, the faster the indicator will spin and the
brighter the indicating lights, on either side of the scope, will illuminate. If
the generator is running on the fast side of the synchroscope, the indicator
will spin continually in the clockwise direction, indicating that the generator
speed must be decreased. Ideally the station operator adjusts the generator
speed (frequency) until the indicator reaches the '12 oclock' point, showing
that it is running at precisely the same frequency as the circuit it is being
connected to. With this, and matching voltages on both sides, the generator
circuit breaker is closed and the generator is placed in service.

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EDG Governor
Electric
Actuator

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EDG
Centrifugal
Governor

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

TERMINAL OBJECTIVE
Students will understand the EMERGENCY DIESEL
GENERATORS, its major components and flowpaths

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EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS

ENABLING OBJECTIVES

State the purpose of the EMERGENCY DIESEL GENERATORS, including

its importance to nuclear safety.
Using a simplified diagram, identify and explain the purpose of the major
components and equipment of the EMERGENCY DIESEL
GENERATORS.
Describe the Maintenance Policies used for EDG maintenance

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