Offshore wind farms as additional coolant power sources to enhance seismic resilience of nuclear power plants– A case study

Continuous supply of cooling power is a critical aspect in operations of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) as evidenced in the major nuclear disasters. Design engineers follow rigorous standard guidelines in planning several levels of safety for power sources in NPPs. However, any unprecedented man-made or natural events may lead to the loss of coolant requirements. This study proposed a seismic resilient strategy using sustainable wind power through which the robustness of cooling power for NPPs during seismic events can be enhanced. Proposed strategy involves various steps starting from estimation of coolant power requirements for nuclear reactors, design of offshore wind turbine (OWT) and supporting system, and seismic safety assessment of proposed OWT for scenario levels at the site of interest. An existing NPP in India (Madras Atomic Power Station-MAPS, Chennai) is chosen as the case study for demonstrating the applicability of proposed strategy. Seismic analysis of proposed OWT is performed incorporating the state-of-the-art understanding on existing seismic scenario, geological and loading conditions, nonlinear seismic soil structure interaction (SSSI), and liquefaction susceptibility. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the proposed offshore wind farm is seismically resilient for the anticipated scenario at the site and could cater the coolant requirements of MAPS. The current study can advance the research on integration of sustainable and resilient energy sources to increase the reliability of NPPs located in seismic prone regions.