I.

ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEMS AT NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

A. Description of the Electrical Power System at a Nuclear Power Plant

The following figures show examples of the outline of the electrical power system
for a nuclear power plant. The design of the electrical power system for a specific plant
will depend on the grid, on the design of plant systems and on decisions on engineering
design. Therefore, these figures are not to be taken as a recommended design for any
specific nuclear power plant.

FIG. 1. Relationship of the plant electrical power system, the off-site electrical power
system and the on-site electrical power system for a nuclear power plant.
FIG. 2. Relationship of electrical power supplies important to safety, safety power supplies
and the preferred power supply for a nuclear power plant.
FIG. 3. Schematic representation of the different parts of the electrical power supplies for
a nuclear power plant, as discussed in this Safety Guide. (Typical for one division.)
 The safety power system can be supplied by either the preferred power supplies or the
standby power sources. Alternate AC power supplies can also supply the safety power systems
in design extension conditions.

There are three major subsystems of the plant power system: the off-site power system,
the on-site power system and the preferred power system. These will be discussed on the
preceding paragraphs as they are used.

OFF- SITE POWER SYSTEM

The off-site power system is composed of the transmission system (grid) and switchyard
connecting the plant with the grid. The off-site power system will normally provide AC power to
the plant in all modes of operation and in all plant states. It also provides transmission lines for
outgoing power. The boundary between on-site and off-site power systems is at the point where
the items controlled by the transmission system operator connect to equipment controlled by
the nuclear power plant operator. The boundary is generally at the bushings on the grid side of
the transformer that connects to the transmission voltage, or on the grid side of the high voltage
circuit breaker closest to the plant.

The off-site power system performs an essential role in terms of safety in supplying the
on-site power systems with reliable power from multiple power sources: (i) main generator via
auxiliary transformers; and (ii) grid power supply via the standby transformer. The off-site power
system is part of the preferred power supply.

An inherently robust grid system provides a highly reliable off-site power supply, as it
rapidly dampens the effects of grid perturbations in normal operation and minimizes the
deviations in voltage and frequency in the connected electrical power system of the nuclear
power plant. Similarly, large nuclear units with a fast turbine governor and generator excitation
systems can impart considerable robustness to a grid system. Because of this interdependence,
good functional integration by design and good operational coordination between the grid and
nuclear power plant operators during major operating changes either on the grid or at the
nuclear power plant are important requirements for the safe and reliable operation of both the
grid and the plant.
ON- SITE POWER SYSTEM

The on-site power system is composed of distribution systems and power supplies within
the plant. It includes the AC and DC power supplies necessary to bring the plant to a controlled
state following anticipated operational occurrences or accident conditions and to maintain it in
a controlled state, or a safe state, until off-site power supplies can be restored. Stand-alone
power supplies, such as separate power supplies for security systems, are not included. The on-
site power systems are separated according to their safety significance: systems important to
safety (safety systems and safety related systems) and systems not important to safety.

The major components of the on-site power system include the main generator,
generator step-up transformer, auxiliary transformer, standby transformer and distribution
system feeding unit auxiliaries, service auxiliaries, switchgear, batteries, rectifiers, inverters
and/or uninterruptible power supplies, cables and standby AC power sources. Parts of the on-
site power system are part of the preferred power supply.

The on-site electrical power systems are generally divided into three types of electrical
power system in accordance with the different power requirements of the loads:

a. An AC power system. The functions of the assigned AC loads will tolerate a certain
interruption in the power supply. Usually, the AC power system includes a standby
AC power source and an alternate AC power source. Protective relays detect loss
of the preferred AC power supply to the electrical power systems and
automatically start a standby electrical power supply. In most cases, it is assumed
in the plant safety analyses that the standby AC power source will be used for
plant shutdown following design basis accidents, and the alternate AC power
source for design extension conditions.
b. A DC power system. This supplies DC loads, without interruption, from batteries. The DC
power system includes battery chargers that are connected to the AC power system of
the electrical power systems. Separate DC power systems are sometimes provided to
support loads of different safety classification
 c. An uninterruptible AC power system. This supplies power from inverters or motor
generator sets that are in turn supplied from a DC power source, such as the DC power
system or dedicated batteries with rectifiers, and includes a bypass circuit to allow
feeding of safety loads directly from safety class AC power systems for maintenance and
emergency cases.

PREFERRED POWER SYSTEM

The preferred power supply is the normal supply for all plant systems important to safety.
It is, if available, always the first and best choice of power supply to the electrical safety power
systems. The preferred power supply includes parts of both the on-site and off-site systems.