Offshore Wind Farms Work as Coolant Power Sources for Seismic Resilience in Nuclear Plants: Study

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur researchers, in collaboration with experts from the University of Surrey, Tsinghua University, and the Institute of Engineering Mechanics, have published a groundbreaking study in the Nuclear Engineering and Design Journal. The research focuses on enhancing the safety and reliability of cooling power sources in nuclear power plants, particularly during seismic events.

Drawing inspiration from historical nuclear disasters, the researchers propose offshore wind farms as an alternate power source to cater to the coolant requirements of nuclear reactors. By harnessing sustainable wind power, this novel approach aims to strengthen the robustness of cooling systems and ensure the reliability of nuclear power plants.

The study revolves around a case study conducted at the Madras Atomic Power Station, located in Chennai, India. The researchers designed a 15 MW offshore wind farm, consisting of three NREL 5 MW turbines supported by monopile foundations at the Kalpakkam area. The wind farm serves as an additional emergency backup power source to meet the cooling power requirements of the existing nuclear power plant.

To ensure the seismic resilience of the offshore wind turbines, the monopile foundations were analyzed under anticipated dynamic loading conditions. The researchers have considered soil nonlinearity (explain in one line) and seismic liquefaction (explain in one line), employing state-of-the-art numerical models for their analysis. The results of nonlinear integrated seismic analyses indicate acceptable seismic performance, as evident from the monopile mudline displacements and bending moments.

The concept behind this research originated in 2011 when Prof. Bhattacharya, one of the authors, witnessed the impact of the Tohoku earthquake in Japan. The idea was initially published in the Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering journal and was further pursued by Dr. Pradeep Kumar Dammala during his research at the University of Surrey, UK. Dr. Dammala conducted additional case studies on seismic resilience, including a road-cum-railway bridge in Guwahati and a public building, resulting in publications in renowned journals and conferences.

Dr. Dammala, the lead researcher, emphasized the importance of enhancing the safety of nuclear structures, especially India's pursuit of nuclear energy development. He believes that the proposed approach serves as an excellent framework for evaluating the seismic resilience of nuclear power plants and integrating wind energy sources during interconnected events such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

The research was funded by the UK India Education Research Initiative (UKIERI) and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, United Kingdom, awarded to Dr Pradeep Kumar Dammala.

Dr Dammala also organized the Indo-UK International Workshop on Design of Foundation Systems for Offshore Wind Turbines - Indian Perspective earlier this year, which observed the participation of over 200 participants from 14 different countries.

India's Three-stage nuclear program, with a focus on Thorium-based reactors, highlights the importance of enhancing the robustness and resilience of advanced nuclear reactors. Five out of seven nuclear power plants are located in seismically active zones and three are in coastal areas prone to hazards like tsunamis and cyclones.

Hence, this research aims to address these challenges by leveraging sustainable wind energy to enhance cooling power requirements and promote the integration of resilient energy sources in earthquake-prone regions.