L-3 MAPPS announced today that it has secured a contract from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) to supply the full scope operator training simulator for the Wolsong Unit 1 (Wolsong 1) nuclear power plant. The project will start immediately, and the simulator is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2018.
"We are grateful to KHNP for this latest opportunity to demonstrate why our nuclear power plant simulators are second to none," said L-3’s Michael Chatlani, vice president of marketing and sales for L-3 MAPPS Power Systems and Simulation. "In addition to our recent simulator projects at Embalse and Cernavodă, the work on Wolsong 1 further aligns L-3 to offer best-in-class simulator solutions for new CANDU* build programs, especially in Argentina, China and Romania."
The Wolsong 1 full scope simulator will use L-3’s industry-leading PC/Windows-based graphical simulation tools for the plant models and instructor station. All of the plant systems will be simulated, including the reactor, nuclear steam supply systems, balance of plant systems, electrical systems and I&C systems. The simulator’s models will be developed, validated and maintained in L-3’s Orchid® simulation environment. The plant computer systems, known as Digital Control Computers (DCCs), will be represented by a fully emulated dual DCC that will be integrated in the full scope simulator. The simulator will be equipped with full replica control room panels driven by L-3’s Orchid Input Output software and a new compact input/output system.
The new plant models will also be complemented with severe accident simulation capabilities by including a version of the Modular Accident Analysis Program, known as MAAP4-CANDU**, L-3’s first implementation of severe accident simulation for CANDU plants. The simulator will additionally be equipped with new two-dimensional and three-dimensional animated, interactive visualizations of the reactor vessel and containment building to provide trainees further insight into the behavior of the plant during severe accidents.
KHNP, a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), provides about 30 percent of South Korea’s electricity supply, making it the nation’s largest power generation company. It has a total installed capacity of more than 27,000 MW through the operation of 25 nuclear power units, 35 hydropower units, 16 pumped-storage power units and a number of renewable energy facilities. The Wolsong site in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, houses four 700 MWe class CANDU reactors, Units 1 to 4. The 30-year operating license of Wolsong 1 ended in November 2012. On February 27, 2015, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved a 10-year license extension until November 2022 for the refurbished and uprated Wolsong 1 reactor, and the unit returned to service on June 23, 2015. The full scope operator training simulator for Wolsong Units 2, 3 and 4 was supplied by L-3 MAPPS.