You might hope to get by with just a huge valve to allow steam
to bypass the turbine, but in practice I doubt it is that simple.
In this business, details matter.
I ask...
If this is not what happens now, then what does happen now? If the
generator load disappears suddenly, and the reactor can't cool down
suddenly, and there aren't valves to divert the steam around the turbine,
then why doesn't the turbine speed up to a much higher rotational speed
that would seem likely to cause mechanical damage? Surely there is not a
mechanical brake that can dissipate 1000 MW. So what is the current
practice for shutdown when a sudden disconnect from the grid is required?
Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry and Physics
Chair, Division of Natural and Applied Sciences
Bluffton University
1 University Drive
Bluffton, OH 45817