Performance analysis of intake screens in power plants on mass impingement of marine organisms

Abstract

Screening performance of the existing intake screens (drum and travelling screen) on mass impingement of marine animals, a euphausiid, Euphausia pacifica and a scyphozoan medusae, Aurelia aurita that have often clogged intake screens of the Uljin Nuclear Power Plant, was tested. The maximum tolerable densities of marine animals in the inflowing seawater upon the screen were estimated with two different approaches. First, the maximum density of jellyfish was calculated from (1) passing amount of seawater per unit time through the screens and (2) the covered area of animals on the screens clogged. The maximum density of krill tolerable in the drum screen was cited from a simulated record of Uljin NPP, then those in the travelling screens were also calculated using the data of drum screen and ratio of seawater amount passing through the screens under the condition of 0.5 m water column (W.C.) of the differential pressure (ΔP) produced by screens, an established permissible limit of ΔP. Secondly, the screening performances were also tested by hydrodynamic measurements with various screen models in a circulating water channel equipped with a speed-controlling pump and a differential pressure gauge. From the first approach, the maximum tolerable densities of drum and travelling screen were calculated as 2.0 and 1.5 ind/m3 for the jellyfish and 900 and 680 ind/m3 for the euphausiid, respectively. These densities estimated from the second approach were 2.1 and 0.8 ind/m3 for the jellyfish and 1059 and 504 ind/m3 for the euphausiid, respectively. These estimates were compared with the data from historic clogging events to evaluate the practical performance of these intake screens. The comparisons suggest a newly improved intake-screen of which performance should be at least seven times (approximately) better than the existing ones for the krill and 3.2 times for the jellyfish, respectively, for preventing mass impingement, and for maintaining the condition of the differential pressure between the screens below 0.3 m W.C.