Problems of load-following operation in nuclear power stations

In Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., nuclear power generation is planned fundamentally as the power source supplying base load, and this policy will not change hereafter. However, as the proportion of nuclear power increases, the load-following operation flexibly dealing with the fluctuation of power demand is expected also for nuclear power generation for the long run. The limiting of nuclear power output will become necessary in the midnight of summer holidays and the continuous holidays in new year and May, even if various countermeasures are taken. The output control of present BWR power stations can be made by the control of recirculation quantity or the operation of control rods. The practical use of the load-following operation in nuclear power generation has been advanced in three phases, that is, basic research, the confirmation of the performance in load-following operation and the expansion of application. The development of power adjuster and the results of the verification test on daily load-following operation are reported. As the problems for the future, the load-following operation of short period and the development of high performance fuel for load-following operation are discussed. (Kako, I.)