atw - International Journal for Nuclear Power | 11/12.2019

atw Vol. 64 (2019) | Issue 11/12 ı November/December
560
NEWS
selection criteria and descriptive
cataloguing, and improve their skills
for the preparation of high-quality
input and use of the repository. The
participants, more than half of them
women, came from Africa, Asia, Europe
and the Americas.
Full-text documents available in
the INIS repository represent almost
entirely nuclear-related non-conventional
literature. Non-conventional
literature includes any literature
which is not normally available
through commercial distribution
channels and which is generally
difficult to locate. The depth and
breadth of the INIS repository and
the large number of daily users
demonstrate how a well-planned and
implemented international cooperation
project can make a significant
contribution to open science.
| www.iaea.org
Company News
Framatome successfully
implements innovative
maintenance technique
on reactor vessel
component underwater
(framatome) Framatome applied a
cutting-edge maintenance technique
on reactor vessel primary nozzles at
Dominion Energy’s Millstone Power
Station during the plant’s spring 2019
outage. This was the first application
of Framatome’s ultra-high pressure
(UHP) cavitation peening process on
reactor pressure vessel nozzles to
primary pipe welds. Because it is
deployed directly to the inner surface,
it is uniquely suited to remediate the
component regardless of external
space restrictions or dose constraints.
“Framatome’s innovative solutions
are ensuring the efficient and reliable
operation of today’s reactor fleet,” said
Catherine Cornand, Framatome’s
senior executive vice president in
charge of the Installed Base Business
Unit. “This new underwater application
of UHP cavitation peening on a
primary nozzle is another example of
our team’s expertise and dedication to
innovation and continuous improvement
in servicing our customers
worldwide.”
To prepare for the work, Framatome
demonstrated the qualified reactor
vessel primary nozzle cavitation
peening technology on a full-scale
mock-up at the company’s world-class
Technical Training Center in
Lynchburg, Virginia, in early 2019.
UHP cavitation peening is designed
to prevent primary water stress
corrosion cracking. The process uses
ultra-high-pressure water jets to
generate vapor bubbles that collapse
with enough force to create beneficial
compression of the components’
surfaces. This surface compression
improves components’ material
properties and enhances resistance
to corrosion and other types of
degradation, which reduces the
effects of aging.
UHP cavitation peening can extend
the life of nuclear reactor primary
components, including the hot leg
primary nozzles, for up to 40 additional
years. Additionally, the process
reduces outage time and saves money
by eliminating the need to replace
components or address indications
with traditional repair methods. UHP
cavitation peening can be used for
several different applications in most
reactor designs.
“Cavitation peening is an industry
game-changer that was recognized in
2017 as one of the Top Innovative
Practices for work completed on the
Byron and Braidwood reactor vessel
closure heads,” said Craig Ranson,
senior vice president of Framatome’s
North America Installed Base Business
Unit. “We are proud to work with
Dominion to expand our proven
capabilities and engineer a solution
for this unique primary nozzle repair.”
Located in Waterford, Connecticut,
the Millstone Power Station’s two
pressurized water reactors produce
enough electricity to power 2.1 million
homes.
| www.framatome.com
UK Government and industry
champion new compact
nuclear power station
(rolls-royce) UK Research and Innovation
(UKRI) has confirmed it has
provided initial match funding to the
consortium of companies designing a
new type of nuclear power station in
the UK.
| Artist's view of the SMR design of a new UK nuclear power station project.
The initial joint investment of
£18million from UKRI will be matched
by nuclear, civil engineering construction
and manufacturing industry
firms, who have been working on the
preliminary design for four years.
The power station is a compact
design, the components for which are
manufactured in sections in regional
UK factories, before being transported
to existing nuclear sites for rapid
assembly inside a weatherproof
canopy. This cuts costs by avoiding
weather disruptions and secures
gradual efficiency savings by using
streamlined and standardised manufacturing
processes for its components.
By 2050 a full UK programme of up
to 16 of these power stations could
create:
p Up to 40,000 jobs
p £ 52 bn of value to the UK
economy
p £ 250 bn of exports
Paul Stein, Chief Technology Officer
for Rolls-Royce, which leads the
consortium, said: “Tackling climate
change requires collaboration across
industries and governments to find
effective, affordable and sustainable
ways of achieving net zero by 2050.
“The consortium’s work with the
Government shows that action is
being taken to decarbonise our
economy and meet our society’s vital
and growing power needs. This is a
very positive step forward to this next
phase of the programme.”
The partners in the consortium
are Assystem, BAM Nuttall, Laing
O’Rourke, National Nuclear Laboratory
(NNL), Rolls-Royce, Atkins,
Wood, The Welding Institute (TWI)
and Nuclear AMRC.
The target cost for each station is
£1.8 billion by the time five have been
built, with further savings possible.
Each power station will be able to
operate for 60 years and provide
440 MW of electricity, which is
enough to power a city the size of
Leeds.
News