|
Application of Advanced Construction Technologies to New Nuclear Power Plants
As part of the U.S Department of Energy Nuclear Power 2010 (NP2010) initiative, MPR conducted an evaluation of advanced construction technologies that could potentially decrease the construction time of new domestic nuclear plants planned for deployment in the 2010 timeframe. Advanced construction technologies are those construction methods and techniques that were developed after completion of the last domestic nuclear plant (nearly 10 years ago).
Existing U.S. nuclear power plants were constructed using the methods and technologies from the 1970’s and 1980’s. Since then construction technology has advanced and these new technologies have been used in several applications, including foreign nuclear plant construction. Construction time for these recent foreign nuclear plants has been reduced to four years or less through the use of advanced techniques and technologies.
Thirteen advanced construction technologies were evaluated. The evaluations considered:
• Current applications of the technology
• Primary benefit of the technology to nuclear power plant construction, e.g., construction schedule improvement
• Potential for successful application at a nuclear plant in the U.S., including qualitative assessment of NRC acceptance
• Technical maturity of the technology (assessed qualitatively)
• Activities recommended for DOE to further advance the technology, e.g., research and development
Table ES-1 lists the technologies evaluated and whether use of the technology should be planned in constructing nuclear plants in the U.S. in the 2010 timeframe. Of the thirteen evaluated, MPR found that 12 of these technologies would benefit construction schedules for new, domestic nuclear plants. DOE should disseminate information regarding these twelve technologies to NSSS vendors, utilities, and constructors. It is incumbent on the vendor to develop/obtain
expertise with these technologies prior to bidding on a new domestic nuclear plant project.
Nine of the twelve construction technologies recommended for use in domestic nuclear plant construction are sufficiently mature and have proven economic benefits (for most applications). These nine technologies, listed below, do not require additional research and development:
• Steel-Plate Reinforced Concrete Structures
• Concrete Composition Technologies (advanced concrete admixtures) MPR-2610 Revision 2 iv
• High Deposition Rate Welding
• Robotic Welding
• 3D Modeling
• GPS Applications in Construction
• Open-Top Installation
• Pipe Bends vs. Welded Elbows
• Precision Blasting/Rock Removal
The remaining three construction technologies show promise for use in building a domestic nuclear plant and potentially have the largest impact on construction schedule reduction. However, each of these three construction technologies has issues that need further technical development, as summarized in Table ES-2. These three construction technologies are:
• Prefabrication, Preassembly, and Modularization
• Cable Splices
• Advanced Information Management and Control
The third technology, “Advanced Information Management and Control,” is part of a significant research initiative by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST is funding a project called FIATECH (Fully Integrated and Automated TECHnology, see Appendix L for details) to develop more fully integrated information processes to improve the efficiency (cost and schedule) of construction projects and the reliability of completed projects. Thus, this technology does not require DOE research funding.
However, the nuclear industry (e.g., NEI) should obtain information on FIATECH from NIST and conduct an investigation to assess the applicability of this project to improving project coordination for new nuclear plant construction in the U.S. Also, the investigation could assess the applicability of the FIATECH project to improving communications between the plant construction team and the NRC throughout construction.
|
