Danube River Basin Model

Nuclear Plant River Thermal Curtailment Simulator

REAL-TIME 2D HYDRO-THERMODYNAMIC FLUID ENGINE (DANUBE @ PAKS NPP) 60 FPS • LIVE
NOMINAL OPERATION: 100% BASELOAD
Actual Grid Output
1360 MWe
100.0% Nominal Capacity
Condenser Discharge Temp
28.4 °C
+6.9°C condenser rise
River Downstream Plume (500m)
22.1 °C
Below 30.0°C statutory cap
Condenser Backpressure
0.048 bar
Thermal Eff: 34.0%
Aquatic Shock Footprint
1.4 km
Eco Risk Index: Low
Thermal Curtailment Physics: Once-through cooled nuclear power plants (such as Paks' 4x VVER-440 reactors) extract massive cooling flows (100 m³/s) to condense low-pressure turbine exhaust steam. Heat rejected to river: Q_rejected = m_dot · Cp · ΔT. When drought reduces river discharge volume or summer ambient heat pushes intake temperatures near legal thresholds (e.g., 30°C statutory limit for the Danube), the plant must derate thermal power output (MWth) to avoid boiling downstream ecosystems or losing condenser vacuum (> 0.12 bar).
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