atw - International Journal for Nuclear Power | 04.2019

atw Vol. 64 (2019) | Issue 4 ı April
236
NEWS
* The Loviisa nuclear
power plant consists
of two pressurized
water reactors with
an installed net
capacity of 507 megawatt
each. It is situated
on the south
coast of Finland.
Loviisa 1 started
commercial operation
in 1977, Loviisa 2
followed in 1980.
upgraded with the latest technology
and monitored for optimal
performance.
By the time a facility seeks to
extend its operating license with
the NRC beyond 40 years –
because of improvements to
turbines, pumps, instrumentation
and other components – the
plants are extensively updated.
Through equipment upgrades,
many plants have been
able to raise the amount of
power they produce. These
improvements, along with other efficiencies,
have helped plants spend
more time generating elec tricity. The
average capacity factor for all nuclear
plants in 2018 was 92.3 percent,
which means that the plants were
almost always up and making electricity.
In contrast, in the 1970s,
reactors on average operated less than
60 percent of the hours in a year.
The industry has not stopped
improving either, as it continues to
develop advanced technology like
accident-tolerant fuels, which could
further boost plant performance,
increase safety and reduce costs.
Nuclear plants are prepared for
the worst
The operators at every nuclear plant
prepare detailed plans with one goal
in mind: to protect their communities
and employees.
These plans meet requirements
set by the NRC and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency. Plant
workers conduct training and drills
every month, and every two years they
test their plans with state and local
government agencies and the NRC.
Emergency plans are also updated
based on emerging issues. After the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, the
industry re-evaluated its plans to cover
a broader array of unforeseen events.
Additionally, after the Fukushima accident
in 2011, the industry stationed
more backup safety equipment at
plants and regional depots. The FLEX
strategy made about 1,500 pieces of
additional equipment, from nozzles to
generators, available to every nuclear
plant in case of an emergency.
Nuclear plants don’t just provide
more than 55 percent of carbon-free
electricity in the United States. They
also are among the safest and most
secure industrial facilities in the
country. And 40 years after the
accident at Three Mile Island, nuclear
energy remains the safest and cleanest
form of baseload power generation.
| | www.nei.org
| | Framatome. Innovation: Robotics
Company News
Framatome.
Innovation: Robotics
(framatome) They go by names such as
Charli, Eloise, Pelican or Forerunner
and they’ve joined the ranks at
Framatome to lend their iron hands to
our teams and our customers’ teams.
These robotic collaborators significantly
improve safety in the field and
enhance the performance of operations.
They are the illustration of our
innovation approach, aiming to offer
safe and increasingly competitive
nuclear energy.
Driven by major technological
advances, these robots represent years
of productive, collective research and
development. Experience some of this
innovation in action: from the Saint-
Marcel plant, where operators use robotic
arms to facilitate strenuous work
and reduce occupational risk, through
to dismantling of the Superphénix reactor,
where the laser robot Eloise has
become quite simply… indispensable.
Available in a variety of models,
SUSI can examine most reactor coolant
system components as well as reactor
pressure vessel, reactor pressure vessel
head, pumps, pressurizers and piping
in nuclear power plants worldwide.
SUSI also performs visual ultrasonic
inspections of baffle bolts. Plus,
it can serve as a gripping device to
retrieve foreign objects. In addition,
the robot can be calibrated under water
at any time during the inspection.
A separate satellite camera system
can be deployed with SUSI or on its
own to further enhance inspection
results in hard-to-reach areas.
| | www.framatome.com
Finland: Framatome successfully
completes modification
of Loviisa nuclear power
plant’s Control rod instrumentation
& control system
Framatome has successfully modified
the Preventive Protection System (PPS)
at the Loviisa* nuclear power plant,
operated by the Finnish utility Fortum.
The Preventive Protection System uses
control rods to monitor the reactor
power and contributes to the safe operation
of the plant. Implemen tation of
the PPS is part of the modernization of
the plant’s I&C system.
The project started in 2016 when
Fortum awarded Framatome the
contract for the PPS and included the
modification of the TELEPERM XS
technology, originally delivered by
Framatome in 2008 (Unit 1) and 2009
(Unit 2).
Framatome’s I&C teams prepared
the required documentation, designed
and engineered the system modification
and performed the final testing,
installation and commissioning on site
during the 2018 outage. These tasks
are essential for the functionality of
the entire system and are also mandatory
for obtaining the licensing by
the Finnish safety authority STUK.
A joint team approach and close
cooperation between Framatome and
Fortum at all stages of the project
were key to ensuring successful completion
on time and to budget.
“This successful modification
project proves Framatome’s ability to
provide I&C upgrades to different
reactor types worldwide. Our
TELEPERM XS I&C system is well
known to Finnish operators and the
authority STUK which is a perfect
basis for further projects”, said
Frédéric Lelièvre, Senior Executive
Vice President in charge of Sales,
Regional Platforms and the Instrumentation
and Control Business Unit
at Framatome.
| | www.framatome.com
GNS: Package design approval
for CASTOR® MTR3
(gns) On 17 January 2019, the German
Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear
Waste Management (Bundesamt
für kerntechnische Entsorgungssicherheit/BfE)
issued the package design
approval certificate for the transport
and storage cask CASTOR® MTR3 as
type B(U)F packaging. The cask was
developed by GNS Gesellschaft für
Nuklear-Service mbH especially for
spent fuel elements from research
reactors. The approval complies with
the internationally valid regulations
of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) for the safe transport
of radioactive materials.
The CASTOR® MTR3 will initially
be used for the transport and storage
of spent fuel elements of the research
reactor FRM II of the TU Munich. In
addition, the cask will be able to
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