Justification of the Prospects for Selecting the Main Electrical Equipment in the Generator Circuit of High-Power Nuclear Power Plant Units

The article analyzes the structure of high-power nuclear power plant units (primarily the electrical part) and determines the prospects for selecting the main electrical equipment (generator circuit breakers and bus ducts) in the generator circuit in the context of potential restrictions on the supply of foreign-made equipment, as well as with further unit power increase. The main problems complicating the development of domestic SF₆ generator circuit breakers (generator switchgears) are noted: lack of a regulatory base; insufficient availability of equipment at testing centers; initially high requirements for the technical parameters of equipment. The use of six-phase generators with a split stator winding is shown to significantly reduce operating and short-circuit currents in the generator circuit and, accordingly, the requirements for generator circuit breakers and bus ducts in their design and production. Since the IAEA standards and European utility requirements, among other things, consider the circuit diagram of the unit without a breaker between the generator and the step-up generator transformer with the connection of operating transformers to the high-voltage switchgear, the authors propose to analyze its reliability, efficiency, and safety. This will help to solve the problem of the domestic nuclear industry associated with selecting generator-voltage circuit breakers now and for upcoming years without limiting, to a reasonable extent, the unit power.