KEPCO E&C analyzes various problems occurring at the operating nuclear power plants, and offers technological solutions. The major technological services that KEPCO E&C provides to the power plants in operation include facilities improvement of nuclear power plants, replacement of major devices and facilities, supporting certifications, and improvement in power plant operation.
Key Service Areas
- Technology support and engineering services for customers
- Replacement design of key equipments
- Power uprates of power plants
- Design improvement of power plant equipment in operation
- Performance of operating nuclear power plants, inspection, preventive maintenance, and technical support for operability enhancement
- Technical support to improve the safety of operating nuclear power plants
- Technical support for license application and new regulatory requirements
Probabilistic Safety Assessment(PSA)
Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is a probabilistic method of assessing the level of safety of nuclear power plants quantitatively, and the assessment results are used to check the safety of nuclear power plants and identify the weak points in the aspect of severe accidents to make design improvements. Most recently, PSA has been used to improve regulatory requirements of nuclear power plants more reasonably by utilizing assessment results. KEPCO E&C has completed the PSA on all operating nuclear power plants and newly built nuclear power plants in Korea and developed a risk monitoring system using the PSA technology, which has been installed in all the nuclear power plants in Korea. In addition, we have developed Maintenance Rule, a maintenance efficiency monitoring program in order to increase comprehensive plant safety across all plants nationwide. Furthermore, as a part of the follow-up measures of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, we have developed low power and shutdown PSA model for Hanbit Nuclear Power Plants and Improved OPR1000. KEPCO E&C is continuously developing PSAs for operating and newly built nuclear power plants in Korea, including the PSA software SAREX.
Lifecycle Management of Nuclear Power Plants
KEPCO E&C is providing engineering service with a state-of-art technologies in the areas of periodic safety review of operating nuclear power plants and safety evaluation of continued operation. KEPCO E&C has evaluation, management, and analysis technologies in relation with aging degradation such as fatigue, corrosion, embrittlement that can be applied in performing various business and R&D projects. Since 2000, KEPCO E&C has been carried out periodic safety review for fleet-wide nuclear power plants as well as safety evaluation of continued operation for Kori Unit 1 and Wolsung Unit 1. In addition, KEPCO E&C has been conducted key projects including fatigue system development, piping thining management, buried piping management, and reactor internal flaw evaluation. Based on this, KEPCO E&C play a key role in order to enhance safety level and maintain stable power supply. In particular, as part of enhancement of safety standards, KEPCO E&C has now been performing project in relation with enhancement of safety and reliability of nuclear power plants by analyzing modern code and standards and incorporating latest evaluation basis into PSR of operating nuclear power plants.
Power Upgrade of Nuclear Power Plants
The nuclear power plant power upgrade is a technology to upgrade power either by using the own available design margin from the rated output that was approved when operating license was obtained without a major change in design, or through the improvement in design methodology, in consideration of operation history and the plant conditions within the acceptable range of secured safety. Power upgrade is a different type of engineering technology than the plant performance improvement or facilities reinforcement which appeared in the 1970s in the other countries including the U.S.A. It is being actively applied since the 1980s, and a commercialized technology is recognized by the international regulatory organizations for its safety. KEPCO E&C started developing the power upgrade technology for the operating nuclear power plants since 2002, and for the first time in Korea, applied to Kori Unit 4 in February 2009, to succeed in improving 4.5% in thermal output, and 34.73MWe in power output. Operating nuclear power plant power upgrade project is a method to technologically solve the site securing and funding problems when a new nuclear power plant is being built, and is expected to continuously expand. Accordingly, KEPCO E&C is putting much effort in developing relevant technology.