Ukraine: Khmelnytskyy and Rivne nuclear power stations reduceoutput

Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Political

Publication date: Jan 25, 2000

Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN

Kiev, 25th January:

Due to a decrease in electricity frequency the output of the No 1 generating set at the Khmelnytskyy nuclear power station was automatically decreased by 12 percent today at 1020 [0820 gmt], UNIAN learnt at the information centreof the State Nuclear Control Administration of the Ukrainian Ministry of Environment and Nuclear Safety.

Experts link the decrease in electricity frequency to 49 Hz,which caused the automatic decrease in the output, to the halt of a coal power station near the Khmelnytskyy nuclear powerstation and an increased energy shortage. The decrease in the reactor's output when the electricity frequency is falling is connected with the work of the reactor's cooling systems.

Yesterday, 24th January, at 1740 [1540 gmt] the output of all five reactors at the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station wasreduced from 5,000 MW to 4,000 MW because of a break in the electricity line 60 km away from the nuclear station which occurred due to a heavy snowfall.

) 1999, NewsReal, Inc.

Link to story:

http://beta.newsreal.com/cgi-bin/NewsService?osform_template=pages/newsrealStory&ID=newsreal&storypath=News/Story_2000_01_25.NRdb@2@15@3@1695&path=News/Category.NRdb@2@7

Weather damage cuts output at Ukrainian nuclear power station Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Economic Publication date: Jan 25, 2000

Excerpt from report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS Kiev, 25th January: An electric power station in Zaporizhzhya(Ukraine) has reduced power production by 970 MW following anaccident in which an overhead cable support was damaged. Theaccident, blamed on rough weather conditions, occurred at 5.39p.m. [1439 gmt] local time on Monday [24th January], officialsfrom the Energatom company told ITAR-TASS today. As a result ofthe accident an emergency protection system of the nuclear powerstation was activated, which cut off the power supply toZaporizhzhya. Trouble- shooting operations are under way... Publication

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 26, 2000

Answers

There's also this related story:

Ukraine: Extra demand causes five power stations to exceed design output

Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Political

Publication date: Jan 25, 2000

Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN

Zaporizhzhya, 24th January:

A nuclear and a thermal powerstation in Zaporizhzhya and the Dniprohes hydropower station are operating in excess of their design output capacity, the director of the department for emergency situations and civildefence of the population under Zaporizhzhya RegionalAdministration, Serhiy Dorosh, told UNIAN. This situation was caused by disconnecting a generating set at the Rivne nuclearpower station from the power grid and by unfavourable weatherconditions that led to a rise in power consumption, he said.According to Dorosh, five generating sets at the Zaporizhzhyanuclear station, three thermal power stations and the Dniproheshydro are currently turning out 5,020, 0,780 and 1,220 MWh,respectively, instead of 5,075, 0,750 and 1,000 MWh. The frequency of current in the power grid is 49.12 Hz.

[passage omitted: cites Melitopol and Berdyansk as having the most vulnerable power transmission systems]

Publication date: Jan 25, 2000

) 1999, NewsReal, Inc.

Link to story:

http://beta.newsreal.com/cgi-bin/NewsService? osform_template=pages/newsrealStory&ID=newsreal&storypath=News/Story_2 000_01_25.NRdb@2@15@3@1694&path=News/Category.NRdb@2@16

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 26, 2000.

Sounds like the manual operation is getting fatigued.

As demand is increased it appears they are havingdifficulty matching the phase transfer, hence the frequency variation.

This is not good, something could break under excess loads.

Like pushing on a swing - if you catch it in phase at the top of the swing yoiu can add energy to the swing but if you push out of phase the swing could break your wrist.

Not good and appears to be deteriorating.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), January 26, 2000.

Not so muc as manual operation as it might just be taking advantage of the weather. According to my source, the coal-fired plant he works at can actually exceed its rated capacity in cold weather by a signifigant amount. Something about at colder temperatures there's more cooling of the feedwater.

Greater efficiency to the plant's thermal cycle as I see it. Whatever the exact technical explanation, a plant rated at 685MW on a standard day has actually produced as much as 750MW when the weather is at sub- zero temperatures. And Russia is known for having cold weather, isn't it?

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), January 26, 2000.