Nuclear Power Plant Compliance with the Principle of Power-System Independence from Safety Systems Operation

The purpose of this paper is to show that during the operation of safety systems at nuclear power plants the principle of independence from the power system, which is one of the basic principles inocroporated in the design of safety systems, is not satisfied and the power system, especially if it is deficient, cannot guarantee the required electricity and protection for safety systems from general failures. To satisfy the independence principle, guarantee the required quality of electricity, and protect the safety systems in nuclear power plants from general failures, it is proposed that the presently operative algorithm for starting up diesel generators be reexamined. When the safety systems at nuclear power plants perform their required functions, they should operate from autonomous diesel generators at the nuclear power plant, which are equipped with electricity quality regulators (frequency and voltage), and not from the power system. It is also suggested that the variant of the algorithm where diesel generators are started up as a preventative measure when the quality of the electricity in the power system drops below admissable limits be reexamined.