Upgrades for Slovakian and Korean simulators

16 August 2018

US company GSE Systems Inc has been awarded two contracts worth a total of USD8 million to update simulators at nuclear power plants at Mochovce in Slovakia and Kori in South Korea. The work includes updating the full-scope simulator at Slovenské Elektrárne's Mochovce 3 and 4 to reflect the final design of the reactors which are still under construction.

Mochovce (Image: ENEL)

GSE in 2013 delivered a new full-scope simulator for Mochovce 3 and 4, two Russian-designed VVER-440 units with control systems provided by Siemens/Areva. The simulator has been used to train plant operators, enabling them to become familiar with the new plant design and operating systems. Unit 3 is scheduled to start up in 2019, with unit 4 in 2020, and as the plant nears commissioning the simulator must be upgraded to reflect the final, as-built design.

GSE will be the prime contractor for the USD6.5 million project, which will be implemented over 16 months.

Construction began on Mochovce 3 and 4 in 1986 and resumed in 2008 after a 16-year hiatus. As of December 2017, unit 3 was 96.1% complete and unit 4 84.5 % complete, according to Slovenské Elektrárne.

A second USD1.5 million contract will see GSE upgrade the simulator at Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company's (KHNP) Kori 2. The simulator was originally built by GSE and Samsung Electronics in 1998 and upgraded in 2006, and the 17-month project will upgrade the plant models to GSE's latest technology. These include the JADE simulation platform and RELAP5-HD, REMARK and PSA-HD solutions to model the reactor core and thermohydraulic systems as well as severe accident scenarios.

Kori 2, which started commercial operation in 1983, is South Korea's oldest operating nuclear power reactor. It will be the seventh full-scope simulator in South Korea to upgrade to GSE's latest technology.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News