ML20030A436
| ML20030A436 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Big Rock Point File:Consumers Energy icon.png |
| Issue date: | 01/18/1960 |
| From: | CONSUMERS ENERGY CO. (FORMERLY CONSUMERS POWER CO.) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8101090510 | |
| Download: ML20030A436 (4) | |
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S E C TIO N II
SUMMARY
A GENERAL The proposed Consumers Power Company Nuclear Power Plant will be located at Big Rock Point in Charlevoix County, between the towns of Charlevoix and Petosky on the northern shore of Michigan's lower peninsula. The reactor is of the single-cycle, forced-circulation boiling-water type. The steam generated in the reactor core flows to the steam drum, then to the turbine, with no heat exchanger in between. Guaranteed nominal electri-cal capacity is to be 50 MW gross at a reactor system pressure of 1050 psia. System components based upon a successful Re-search and Development Program will be designed for power production of 75 MW gross electrical output at system work-ing pressures up to 1500 psia.
B.
SITE Preliminary considerations of the environmental aspects of natur-al phenomena and the surrounding community indicate that the site is very favorable for the proposed Plant. Studies have been, or are currently being, conducted by professional specialists engaged by Consumers Power Company to investigate phenomena of meteorology, geology, hydrology, seismology, and lake dif-fu sion. Initial findings indicate thati generally prevailing winds are from the western half of the compass (and there are no signi-ficant popuhtion centers downwind for a distance of over ten miles); the area has not experienced an earthquake of significant magnitude within historic times; and the grade level of the site is about eight feet above the highest flood level of the lake in 80 years of record.
The site size and shape together with the planned location of the reactor enclosure indicate that there will be no residences with-in one-half mile of the reactor. A favorable low population den-sity exists over the surrounding area and there is but one town, Charlevoix, within a ten mile radius. Charlevoix, located about four miles to the southwest of the site. had a 1950 census of 2700 people. The largest urban area, Traverse City of about 17,000 people, is about 45 miles south-southwest of the site.
C.
PLANT STRUCTURES
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The plant structures include:
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A 130 ft. diameter spherical reactor enclosure 2.
A Turbine building y
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Intake structures
~ A 240 ft. stack 4.
D.
REACTOR The major components and accessories of the reactor are:
1.
A reactor pressure vessel,. approximately 9 feet inside diameter by 32 feet inside length. It will be designed, built, and tested in accordance with appropriate Codes and consist of a high strength alloy base material clad on the inside with stainless steel.
2.
A reactor core, within the pressure vessel, consisting of slightly enriched uranium dioxide pellets encased in stainless steel tubing. Sixty-four of these individual rods are grouped into a fuel assembly.
3.
Control rods and their drive systems. The control rods will be of cruciform cross-section, and contain a boron stainless steel alloy. The drive systems will be hydrau-lically actuated, and enter the core through the bottom of the pressure vessel.
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A steam supply syetem comprised of a steam separating drum, two recirculation pumps, an emergency condenser, a shutdown heat exchanger, and a reactor demineralizer system.
E.
POWER GENERATION The Plant has a guaranteed gross electrical output of 50 MW and a corresponding reactor heat generation of approximately 156 MW.
With associated technological developments it is expected to achieve a gross electrical output of 75 MW and a corresponding re-actor heat generation of approximately 240 MW. The power ex-traction system will include a saturated steam turbine generator, condenser, condensate pumps and demir.eralizers, and feedwatsr pumps and heaters.
F.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM When completed, it is expected that the Plant will initially be used in the conduct of a defined program of research and development aimed primarily at the development of nuclear reactor cores having a high
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power density, long life, and low fabrication cost. The research and development program, for which General Electric will have primary responsibility, will consist of preoperational wolk (expected to be approximately three years in duratior) and work y'-
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during operation, beginning with first criticality of the reactor and continuing for 4-1/2 years thereafter. The main feature of the research and development program will be the development and subsequent testing in the Consumers plant of advanced fuel element designs. After completion of the research and develop-ment program, the plant will be operated at optimum conditions for production of power.
G, SAFEGUARD DESIGN CRITERIA 1.
NORMAL OPERATION All phases of the normal operation of the Plant, including disposal of all radioactive materials produced, will be such that:
1.1 these operations do not result in exposure of any persons on or off the plant premises to radiation in excess of the permissible limits; and
- 1. 2 they do not result in radioactive contamination of te r rain, surface or ground water, or exposure of personnel to atmospheric contamination outside the plant boundaries in excess of permissible limit s.
2.
-SAFEGUARDS AGAINST ACCIDENTS The design, construction, and operation of the Plant will be such that the likelihood of accidental infraction of the above-mentioned normal operation provisions is kept low.
Some examples of the safeguards against accidents are:
2.1 The design of the nuclear reactor is such that the reactor tends to shut itself down upon a potentially dangerous increase in its power--that is, an increase in fuel temperature or steam void volume both tend to shut down the reactor.
- 2. 2 Two separate and independent reactor shutdown sys -
tems are provided. One system utilizes the reactor -
control rods for automatic fast shutdown in response to potentially dangerous levels of certain of the-criti-cal process variables. The second system provides an emergency source of negative reactivity (liquid poison) for shutdown of the reactor in the event com-plete shutdown cannot be obtained with the control rod system. This system is manually controlled.
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- 2. 3 Three separate and independent systems for cooling
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the reactor are provided..
The main power system cools the reactor under de-sign operating conditions using the turbine and main condenser. The second system uses an emergency condenser to cool the reactor following scram and separation from the main cooling system. The third system provides for the introduction of cooling water through a sparger above the core to prevent signifi-cant fuel meltdown following scram and loss of all other coolant measures.
- 2. 4 Safety devices are designed in such a way that their malfunction would shut the reactor down rather than cause or permit a power increase.
3.
. CONTAINMENT A sphsrical enclosure of 130 feet diameter constructed of steel is provided to structurally supplement the inherent safety of the Big Rock Point boiling water reactor. It will be designed to be capable of confining any significant quantity of radioactive materials that may be 1iberated as a result of a " maximum
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credible accident" involving rupture of the primary reactor system. _ Its design pressure employing safety factors called I
for by the ASME unfired pressure vessel code, will equal or exceed the highest pressure that could arise in such an acci-dent.
The enclosure will house the reactor, primary recirculation pipe, pumps, steam drum, and equipment for removal of shut down heat.
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