Journal of International Council on Electrical Engineering

ISSN: (Print) 2234-8972 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjee20

Application of variable frequency drive on the

condensate pump motors of APR1400 nuclear
power plants for energy savings

Exavier Zakaria Barie & Choong-koo Chang

To cite this article: Exavier Zakaria Barie & Choong-koo Chang (2018) Application of variable
frequency drive on the condensate pump motors of APR1400 nuclear power plants for
energy savings, Journal of International Council on Electrical Engineering, 8:1, 179-189, DOI:
10.1080/22348972.2018.1515691

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/22348972.2018.1515691

© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa Published online: 15 Oct 2018.

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JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
2018, VOL. 8, NO. 1, 179–189
https://doi.org/10.1080/22348972.2018.1515691

ARTICLE

Application of variable frequency drive on the condensate pump motors of

APR1400 nuclear power plants for energy savings
Exavier Zakaria Barie and Choong-koo Chang
Nuclear Power Plant Engineering, KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS), Ulsan, Republic of Korea

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

Condensate pumps provide the motive force to deliver condensate from the hotwell to the Received 30 October 2017
deaerator storage tanks. Advanced Power Reactor 1400 (APR1400) is comprised of three 50% Accepted 22 August 2018
capacity motor driven condensate pumps with control performed by level control valves (LCVs). KEYWORDS
This configuration presents a challenge since the flow of condensate water is controlled by LCVs Variable frequency drive;
only. These LCVs are in throttled position in the pipeline where throttling of valves causes the condensate pumps; energy
loss of system efficiency by increasing the resistance to the flow. Generally, Variable Frequency saving calculation; level
Drives (VFDs) allow to operate motors and pumps at the precise speed needed for the process control valve; motor stating
and energy saving. This paper investigates if there are any advantages when VFD is used to methods; affinity theory;
control the CPs and check the possibility of eliminating LCVs. Therefore, the NPP model was harmonic analysis
developed using Electrical Transient Analysis Program (ETAP) software and was benchmarked to
APR1400. The analysis was performed with VFD installed and without VFD. The new approach for
CP energy saving calculation using VFD was introduced and the results were confirmed by the
ETAP model simulation results. The conclusion was drawn from the results whether the applica-
tion of VFD for CPs has advantages for energy savings and economic benefits.

1. Introduction monitored level is below the minimum stored volume

of 239,000 gal [4], the standby CP will start for main-
The condensate and feedwater systems are designed to
taining the DST’s capacity at the required level. In case
deliver the condensate water from the main condenser
of valve malfunction, the operator has the access to
to the steam generator (SG). The condensate system
operate the LCVs manually.
consist of three 50% capacity motor-driven pumps
This configuration presents a number of challenges
(two operating and one standby) deliver condensate
since the condensate flow to the DSTs is regulated by
from the condenser hotwells to the deaerator through
the LCVs only, which maintain an essentially constant
the condensate polisher, a steam packing exhauster,
deaerator storage tank water level at all plant operating
and three stages of LP feedwater heaters (Figure 1).
conditions [5]. These LCVs are in throttled position in
Condensate is provided to the SG blowdown regenera-
the pipeline where throttling of valves causes the loss of
tive heat exchanger for cooling [1]. Three 50 percent
system efficiency by increasing the resistance to the flow.
capacity motor driven condensate pumps are vertical,
Due to these reasons, the CPs was selected for this
multistage, centrifugal, and operate in parallel. During
research. In this paper the VFD will be used to drive
normal operation, two pumps are running [2]. Each
three condensate pumps and investigate the possibility
condensate pump (CP) supplies 11,000 gpm with
of eliminating the LCV’s for the purpose of energy saving
1100 ft of head (approximately 477psi) [3].The third
and extending the life of the pumps. The speed of the
pump is prepared as a standby and starts automatically
pump is adjusted by the VFD mechanism to shift the
on the loss of one of the two operating pumps, allowing
pump head curve to match the system resistance at the
the plant to remain at 100 percent power [2].The LCVs
required system flow as shown in Figure 2 [6].VFD offers
receive the control signals from the level transmitters
the advantage of lower operating costs than throttle valve
which provide the indication and monitors the level of
control, since the motor must only provide adequate
the condensate inside the two deaerator storage tanks
energy to match the system resistance at the required
(DSTs), A and B with capacity of 450,000 gal each.
system flow [7]. The new approach for condensate
When the level is low or high the LCVs will control
pumps energy saving calculation using VFD will be
the flow by full opening or minimum opening. If the

CONTACT Exavier Zakaria Barie exavierzakaria@yahoo.com KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS), 658-91 Haemaji-ro, Seosaeng-
myeon, Ulju-gun, 45014 Ulsan, Republic of Korea
© 2018 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted
use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
180 E. Z. BARIE AND C.-K. CHANG
Figure 1. APR1400 Condensate system.
Figure 2. Variable frequency drive control.
introduced in section 3.2 and the results were confirmed
by the ETAP model simulation results. Both results
seemed to be very close.
2. Literature review
By the 1980s, AC motor drive technology became reliable
and inexpensive enough to compete with traditional DC
motor control. The VFD became popular in accurately
control the speed of standard AC induction or synchro-
nous motors. With VFDs, speed control with full torque
is achieved from 0 rpm through the maximum rated
speed and, if required, above the rated speed at reduced
torque. VFDs manipulate the frequency of their output by
rectifying an incoming AC current into DC and then
using voltage pulse width modulation to recreate an AC
current and voltage output waveform. However, this fre-
quency conversion process causes losses as heat in the
VFD components that must be dissipated. The process
also yields overvoltage spikes and harmonic current dis-
tortions.Nevertheless, with VFD control, the power input
to the motor or pump varies with the cube of the speed,
small change in speed can greatly impact the power
required by the load [8], as shown in Table 1 [9].
Therefore, the VFD provides continuous range process
speed control as compared to the discrete speed control
that gearboxes or multi-speed motors provide.
Generally, Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are slow to
adopt new technology. The major reasons are, it involves
various modes of operations. Sometimes it is a challenge
Table 1. Effects of reduced speed on required power.
Pump speed Mechanical Power required
100% 100%
90% 73%
75% 42%
50% 13%
 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
for the new technology to accommodate the require-
ments needed for each mode of operation and should
be reviewed by various nuclear regulatory authorities
before it accepted for its implementations. Another rea-
son is for safety and system reliability. A recent trend in
nuclear power plant upgrades has been the replacement
of the motor-generator (MG) sets that drive the reactor
circulating pumps with VFD. Siemens’ first application of
VFDs in this industry began in 2000 with an installation
of six VFDs at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. The use of
the VFD continues to expand, and upgrades were
recently completed at several U.S. plants, including the
Hatch Nuclear Plant in Georgia [10]. In [11], the amount
of energy of 7,568,048.4 kWh was realized to be saved if
VFDs were used to control the recirculation pumps of
CANDU NPP. Also many researches have been done
involving the replacement of VFD with equipment
which requires speed and torque control. However most
researches for industrial application of VFD, resulted in
great benefits especially for energy and cost saving. In
[12], the eddy current drive was replaced with a VFD.
With this modification the annual energy consumption
was reduced from 439,065 kWh to 290,218 kWh and
reduced the total annual electricity costs by 34%. Other
case studies are the replacement of damper controls with
VFD in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning
(HVAC) system and the replacement of vacuum pump
controls with a VFD in a diary facility. In both cases the
energy and cost saving were realized. Despite the VFD’s
challenges of producing harmonics and heat dissipation,
VFD still seemed to have more advantages and economic
benefit [13–15].
Many industrial facilities are still searching for the best
ways to save the energy consumptions costs during the
production. Thus, this research focuses on installation of
VFD in the condensate system of APR1400 as one way of
energy consumptions saving in the plant. Investigating if
there are any significant benefits in energy and cost saving
when the VFDs will be used to control three condensate
pumps in the condensate system. The new approach of
VFD energy saving calculation for condensate pumps will
be introduced and then results were confirmed by the
ETAP model simulation results. This approach distin-
guishes the difference with other previous work which
has been published such as in [16,17].
2.1 Condensate pump motor starting method
Starting and control methods available for medium-vol-
tage (MV) induction motors in the industry are continu-
ally changing in terms of application considerations due to
the evolution of available products and changing charac-
teristics of the machine and processes. These include direct
181
on-line starting, primary resistance starting, star-delta
starting, auto-transformer, soft starter and VFD [18]. In
the condensate system of APR1400, the CP motors are
start and run by direct on-line method whereby these
motors are connected to the 3 phases supply directly;
while the flow of the condensate is controlled by the valves.
Normally during the motor starting period, the starting
motors appear to the system as small impedance connected
to a bus. It draws a large current from the system, about six
times the motor rated current, which therefore results in
voltage drops in the system and impose disturbances to the
normal operation of other system loads. Since the motor
acceleration torque is dependent on motor terminal vol-
tage, in some cases the starting motor may not be able to
reach its rated speed due to extremely low terminal voltage
[19]. It also introduces the big mechanical stresses on the
motor. VFD overcomes these challenges when is used as
motor starting and control device by providing smooth
motor starting. Thus the use of VFD in this research will be
as an added advantage for the above addressed challenge,
also for energy saving, precise flow and enhancing system
efficiency.
3. Methodology
The following approaches were used for accomplishment
of this study. The APR1400 NPP model was developed by
using ETAP software ver.16.1.0. The load flow analysis
and the short circuit fault current analysis were per-
formed. The purpose of this analysis was to verify the
impact of the design change. The model was bench-
marked to APR1400 design input data. The analysis was
performed according to the design criteria of NPP elec-
trical systems. Then the field data were used to calculate
an energy and cost saved by the two condensate pumps.
Only two pumps was considered since during the normal
operation the two 50% capacity pumps are operating and
one is standby in case one of the two will stop. The results
of the new approach method were compared with the
ETAP simulation results obtained for credibility.
3. 1 ETAP model building
ETAP stands for Electrical Transient Analysis Program. Is
a fully graphical electrical power system analysis program
that runs on various windows operating systems. It can
utilize real-time operating data for advanced monitoring,
real-time simulation, optimization, and high speed intelli-
gent load shedding. The electrical load lists was prepared
with reference to Barakah NPP 1&2 Preliminary Safety
Analysis Report (PSAR). Then single line diagrams of
APR1400 division one and two was drawn in the ETAP
by using the prepared load lists and reference drawings.
182 E. Z. BARIE AND C.-K. CHANG

Table 2. The proposed VFD specification. Case 1: Simulation with the Current Operating
Medium Voltage VFD Conditions (without VFD).
Product or component type data
Number of Phases 3 phases The VFDs in the model were set on the bypass mode
Supply Voltage 13.8 kV for the purpose of disable the VFDs operations. The
Supply frequency 50/60 Hz
Output voltage 13.8 kV loading condition for the condensate pump was set to
Rating 4440 kVA 75 % instead of 100%. This value was decided due to
Power factor 80%
Operating efficiency 95% the load factor obtained by calculation using the field
Nominal Continuous Standard Overload 162 A data. The load flow analysis simulation was performed
Current 120%
High Overload 150% 129 A and the results of motor input current, power and
Dimension (W*D*H) 6870x1500x2670 (mm) power factor were recorded. The CP input data in
Approx. weight 9100 kg
ETAP are shown in Figure 3.
Case 2: Simulation with VFD

Table 3. Condensate pump specification. The VFD bypass switches were off so that to allow the
CONDENSATE PUMP CPs to be controlled by the VFDs, and the loading
Pump Type Vertical, Centrifugal, Can type, Mixed condition for the condensate pump was still set to 75
flow. %. The load flow analysis simulation was performed
Quantity per unit 3
No. of pumps in operation 2 and the motor input current, power and power factor
No. of pumps in standby 1 were recorded. The VFD input and output data in
No. of stages 3
Minimum recirculation flow 5000 gpm
ETAP are shown in Figure 4.
Motor Voltage/Phase/ 13.2 kV/3Phase/60Hz
Frequency
Rated Capacity/flow (12,700 gpm) 3.2 By calculation (new approach method)
48,075 L/min
Rated head (1,010 ft)305 m
Motor rated horsepower 3,432 kW (4,600 hp) The field data was collected as shown below.
Pump rated speed 1180 rpm
Recirculation flow VS. rated 40% Motor Rating Data
flow
Pump motor type AC induction BHP = 4600 HP (3432 kW)
Efficiency at 100% 95.5% at 0.88 PF V = 13.2 kV
Efficiency at 75% 95.3% at 0.87 PF
Efficiency at 50% 94.4% at 0.83 PF IFL = 180 A (Motor name plate data)
N1 = 1180 rpm
Ƞ75% = 95.3 % (at 75% load)
The VFD specification data was proposed according to the PF = 87%
input power and rating capacity of the condensate pumps
as shown in Table 2. The condensate pump specifications Current Operating Conditions data
are also shown in Table 3. The VFDs were also included in Plant power at 100%
the diagram for condensate pump control. After the Pump operation = 80% hrs per year (assumption)
APR1400 model was developed, various analyses were Motor operating current IL = 134.5 A (Field data)
carried out such as short circuit fault current, load flow CP Rated capacity = 12,700 gpm (801 L/s)
analysis and harmonic analysis. Short circuit current ana- Flow rate (1CP) = 11,254 gpm (710 L/s), (Field data).
lysis is very essential for the design of electrical systems Electricity cost = 0.05 USD/kWh (assumption)
because major equipment ratings are decided by that Rated head = 1,010 ft (308 m)
simulation. However, it has not direct related with this Run out head = 725 ft (221 m)
study. The purpose of performing the load flow analysis f1 = 60 Hz operating frequency
was to calculate the bus voltage, branch power factors,
currents, and power flows throughout the electrical system. The Figures 5 and 6 below illustrate the current and
As well known, the main challenge in the VFDs applica- the proposed configuration respectively.
tions is losses in the form of heat dissipated in its compo- Case 1: The current Operating conditions
nents during the frequency conversion process which
causes the harmonics in the power system. The purpose With reference to Figure 5:
of conducting the harmonic analysis was to determine its IL 134:5
effects in the main transformer and the buses specific Load Factor ¼ ¼ ¼ 0:75
IFL 180 (1)
where VFDs were installed. η75% ¼ 95:3% ðmotor data sheet Þ
 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 183

Figure 3. CP input data and loading condition in ETAP.

PF at 75% load = 87% (motor data sheet) Q2 N2 Q2

From ¼ ; N2 ¼ x N1
pffiffiffi Q1 N1 Q1
S ¼ 3 VI (2) 11254gpm
(5)
x1180 rpm ¼ 1046 rpm
pffiffiffi 12700gpm
S¼ 3x13:2 kVx134:5A ¼ 3075 KVA
The frequency at the reduced speed will be calculated
pffiffiffi pffiffiffi by the following formula.
Pin ¼ 3 VICos; ¼ 3 x13:2x134:5A x0:87
(3)
Pin ¼ 2675 kW ðmotor input powerÞ From
f2
¼
N2
; f2 ¼
N2
x f1
f1 N1 N1
Case 2: When two Pumps operate with VFD (6)
1046rpm
x 60Hz ¼ 53 Hz
With reference to Figure 6, VFD will control the CP at 1180rpm
reduced speed with the flow rate of = 11,254 gpm.
By applying the affinity theory for the centrifugal Operating head will change due to change of speed
pumps:  2  2
H2 N2 N2
 2  2 From ¼ ; H2 ¼ x H1
Q2 N2 H2 N2 T2 N2 HP2 H1 N1 N1
¼ ; ¼ ; ¼ ;   (7)
Q1 N1 H1 N1 T1 N1 HP1 1046 2
 3 H2 ¼ x 308 m ¼ 242 m
N2 1180
¼ (4)
N1
The above result in (7) should be confirmed if meet the
Where: Q is the flow rate, N is the impeller or rated minimum requirement of run out head of the system
speed, H is the head, T is the rated torque and HP is (221m).
Power. Required Power, P2 α ðN2 Þ3
184 E. Z. BARIE AND C.-K. CHANG

Figure 4. VFD input and output data in ETAP.

Figure 5. Illustrate the current configuration.

 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 185

Figure 6. Illustrate the proposed configuration.

 3  3
P2 N2 N2 Annual cost saving = 252,288 x 2 = 504,576 USD for
¼ ; P2 ¼ xP1 (8) two CPs
P1 N1 N1

 
1046 3 3.3 Harmonic analysis
Motor output powerðP2 Þ ¼ x 2675 kW
1180 As well known, the main challenge in the VFDs applica-
¼ 1863 kW
tions is harmonics in the power system generated by the
distortion of the current wave during rectifying and invert-
Po 1863 kW ing process. The presence of harmonics can give rise to a
Motor Input powerðPin Þ ¼ ¼
Eff 0:953 variety of problems including equipment overheating,
¼ 1955 kW (9) deteriorating performance of electrical equipment, the
incorrect operation of protective relays and interference
PF at low load = 84 % (from ETAP simulation) with communication devices. Due to these reasons, the
Current with VFD IVFD ¼ pffiffi3 PVCos;
O
¼ pffiffi3 x13:2x0:84
1863
harmonic phenomena of the power system was modelled
¼ 97 A and analysed by using ETAP software for determination of
its effects in the main transformer and the buses specific
Po 1863 kW
VFD Input powerðPvfd Þ ¼ ¼ where VFDs were installed. ETAP modelled accurately
Effvfd 0:95 various power system components and devices such as
¼ 1961 kW (10) frequency dependency, nonlinearity and other character-
istics under the presence of harmonic sources. In ETAP
Power savings ¼ 2675 kW  1955 kW ¼ 720 kW (11) software, the harmonic load flow study was performed and
the results were also recorded.
Annual energy saving ¼ kW x 80% hrs per year
4. Results
Annual energy saving ¼ 720 Kw x 24hr x365 days x 0:8 As mentioned earlier, the new approach of energy saving
¼ 5; 045:76 MWh for one CP calculation for condensate pumps has been introduced in
this paper when VFD will be used to drive some con-
Annual energy saving = 5,045.76 MWh x 2 = 10,091.52
densate pumps for the purpose of energy saving, and its
MWh for two CPs
results were compared with the ETAP model results as
Annual cost saving = 720 kW x 24hr x 365 days x justification of its validity and credibility. Therefore, the
0.8 × 0.05 USD/kWh = 252,288 USD for one CP results obtained are listed below.
186 E. Z. BARIE AND C.-K. CHANG
Figure 7. The results of simulation in the current operating conditions.
4.1 Simulation results
Case 1: Simulation results with the Current Operating
Conditions (without VFD).
The Figure 7 was captured during the load flow simu-
lation with the current operating conditions. The vol-
tage level of the motor terminals were verified to check
if meet the design requirements. The motor input
current and power factor highlighted in yellow colour
were recorded.
Case 2: Simulation with VFD
The Figure 8 represents the load flow simulation results
when VFD was installed in the ETAP model for con-
trolling the condensate pumps. The voltage level of the
motor terminals were verified. The input motor current
and power factor highlighted in yellow colour were
recorded.
4.2 Calculation results
The results obtained from the calculations were sum-
marized in the Table 4.
4.3 Harmonic analysis results
The harmonic analysis results are shown in the Tables
5 and 6 below.
5. Discussion
In this section, results have been compared for the
purpose of finding out if the new introduced method
has the similar results with the ETAP simulation results.
The results are mainly divided into two parts which are,
when the condensate pumps are operating with the
present condition (without VFD) and when VFDs
were installed. Table 7 shows the summarized compar-
ison table, whereby in the present operating condition,
the motor input current from the field data (134.5 A) is
closer to that of simulation results of 130.7 A, thus the
small difference of 3.8 A (3%) has been noted. The
power factor from the motor data sheet is exactly
equal with that from the simulation results of 87%.
The motor input power result obtained from the calcu-
lation method has a slight difference of 37 kW (1%) with
the simulation result. However the difference of 87 kW
(4%) for motor input power and 9 A (8%) input current
 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 187

Figure 8. The simulation results with VFD.

Table 4. Shows the calculation results. for current and power ratios as shown in Table 7. This
CALCULATION RESULTS implies that the proposed method for calculating energy
WITHOUT VFD Motor Input Current = 134.5 A(Field data) saving in the condensate pumps are credible and the
Power Factor = 87 % (data sheet)
Motor Input Power = 2675 kW amount of energy saved with VFDs are reasonable. As
WITH VFD Motor Input Current = 97 A shown in Table 7, the amount of 720 kW (27%) can be
Power Factor = 84 %
Motor Input Power = 1955 kW
saved for one condensate pump and a total of 10,091.52
VFD Input Power = 1961 kW MWh can be saved annually which cost 504,576 USD.
However, the calculation of rate of return (RR) or pay-
back period is out of scope of this paper. The advantage
Table 5. Harmonic results in bus N 1E 821-E-SW02M. of the proposed approach is that, the minimum allow-
BUS N 1E 821-E-SW02M THDv (%) kVrms able head can be estimated see (7) to check the require-
Without VFD (Bypass mode) 6.86 13.81 ment regarding the run out head of the system for
With VFD 7 13.84 VFD’s application on the condensate pump.
On the other hand the results of the total harmonic
distortion (THD) in the bus are very minimum (see
Table 6. Harmonic results in the main transformer. Table 5) and seemed no harmonic effects in the main
MAIN XFMR THDv (%) Arms transformer (see Table 6), this indicates that no signif-
Without VFD (Bypass mode) 2.99 1970 icant harmonic effects be introduced in the electrical
With VFD 2.99 1970 system due to the application of VFD in the condensate
pumps thus, the IEEE Std 519–1992 requirements has
been met [20].
has been noted respectively for the case when the pro-
Another implication arise on the load factor calcu-
posed VFDs were installed. The cause of these implica-
lated by using the field data seemed to be 75% than
tions might be due to some assumptions used during the
expected of 100% since according to the literature the
calculations. Meanwhile, the ratios results give the sig-
three condensate pump are 50% capacity motor driven
nificant equal ratios for efficiency and slight differences
pumps. This may be influenced by the design margin of
188 E. Z. BARIE AND C.-K. CHANG

Table 7. The comparison between the simulation results and the results obtained from the calculation.
ETAP SIMULATION RESULTS CALCULATION RESULTS
WITHOUT VFD Motor Input Current = 130.7A 134.5 A (Field data)
PF = 86.99 % PF = 87 % (datasheet)
Motor Input Power = 2712 kW 2675 kW
WITH VFD Motor Input Current = 106 A 97 A
PF = 83.99 % 84%
Motor Input Power = 2042 kW 1955 kW
VFD Input Power = 2149 kW 1961 kW
106 A 97 A
RATIOS I: 130:7 A ¼ 81 % I: 134:5 A ¼ 72 %
2042 kW 1955 kW
P: 2712 kW ¼ 75 % P: 2675 kW ¼ 73 %
2042 kW
VFD Efficiency: 2149 kW ¼ 95 % 95 % (VFD data sheet)
POWER SAVING 720 kW (27 % saving)
ANNUAL ENERGY SAVING 10,091.52 MWh for two CPs
ANNUAL COST SAVING 504,576 USD for two CPs

the motors. It has negligible effects during the experi-
ment since the same load factor was used in both,
calculation and in ETAP simulation.
The main purpose for application of VFDs are as
mentioned in other previous works such as,it can provide
the precise speed control for condensate system when is
required, the VFD provides minimum motor real power
demand about 1955 kW compared to 2675 kW without
VFD(calculation results in Table 7). This helps in saving
system energy and improves the efficiency. Also the VFDs
provides flexibility in torque, the load can be easily accel-
erated or decelerated as slowly as desired that is ideal in
limiting mechanical stress on bearings, seals, shaft, and
vibrations; which will increase the life span of the CP
motors. Maintenance savings arise and the plant running
costs can be reduced.Furthermore the proposed VFDs
has in-built power factor correction and motor protection
functions which can improve system power factor and
provide protection for the condensate pump motors. The
bypassed capability also provides maximum flexibility. In
case of fault in the VFD units, the bypass switch will be
activated and the system will operate as in previous.
6. Conclusion
This study indicates that the significant energy saving is
real in the application of VFDs for condensate pumps.
Most notably, the paper has a major contribution to our
knowledge for proposing the new approach of calculating
the energy saving in the condensate pumps, this distin-
guish the difference between the previous works which
has been done in the application of VFDs in the NPP.
Our results meet the required design criteria for elec-
trical systems in NPP. The method shows that 10,091.52
MWh and the cost of 504,576 USD can be saved signifi-
cantly when the VFDs will be used to drive the condensate
pumps of APR1400. Therefore, VFDs can be installed in
the APR1400 to drive the condensate pumps. Since the
installed VFDs have bypassed capability, it is suggested
that no need to eliminate the level control valves (LCVs),
they will be used as an option when the VFDs bypass mode
are activated during its maintenance or fault condition.
However, the new proposed method provides the esti-
mated values for cost saving unless other factors such as
VFD cost, installation cost, maintenance cost and the
available space must be taken into consideration. Other
NPP regulatory requirements should also be considered
before the VFD’s application.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the 2017 Research Fund of
the KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS),
Republic of Korea.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was supported by the 2017 Research Fund of the
KEPCO International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS),
Republic of Korea.
Notes on contributors
Exavier Zakaria Barie is a holder of the master of engineering
in Nuclear Power Plant Engineering from KEPCO
International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS) at Ulsan, the
Republic of Korea since January 2018. He obtained his bachelor
of engineering degree in Electrical and Electronics from Mbeya
University of Science and Technology (MUST), the United
Republic of Tanzania in 2013. Also, he is a holder of Full
Technician Certificate in Electrical Engineering from Dar es
Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT), the United Republic of
Tanzania since 2002. He has been employed as a nuclear
instrumentation technician at Tanzania Atomic Energy
Commission (TAEC) since 2006. Currently, he is working as
assistant nuclear research engineer since 2013.
 JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Choong-koo Chang received M.S. in Electrical Engineering
from Inha University in 1990, and Ph. D degree in Electrical
Engineering from Myongji University in 2001. He participated
in Younggwang NPP 3&4 and Ulchin NPP 3&4 design project
as an electrical system engineer from 1985 to 1993 at KOPEC.
From 1993 to 1998 he worked as a senior engineer for the plant
control, and automation business team of Samsung Electronics.
As an Executive Vice President and CTO at Sangjin
Engineering from 2001 to 2012, he designed the electric
power systems for nuclear power plants, thermal power plants,
and combined cycle power plants. Since 2013, he serves as a
professor in the NPP Engineering Department of KEPCO
International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS). His research
interests are planning, design, and operation of the electric
power systems for power plants.
ORCID
Choong-koo Chang http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5649-
6779
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