Framatome ANP - AREVA

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FeaturesOskarshamn 1:Fit for Another 20 YearsOskarshamn 1Nuclear Power Station.At Sweden’s oldest nuclearpower plant, Oskarshamn 1(475 MWe), an extensive “MOD”modernization program wascompleted recently, enablingthe 30-year-old BWR unit tooperate economically for at leastanother 20 years.Concept Developedby Framatome ANPThe goals of the modernizationprogram originally defined in 1996 –namely, to extensively upgradeOskarshamn 1 and thereby enhanceplant safety – were implemented withgreat success. Framatome ANPdeveloped a modernization conceptwhose key features included strictphysical separation of redundantsubsystems, greater diversity ofequipment design, and independenceof safety systems from those used fornormal plant operation. Theseconcepts were accepted, withoutchanges, by the Swedish licenseauthority and the operator. The workincluded the design and installation ofa brand new two-train low-pressureemergency core cooling system(ECCS) and modifications to thehigh-pressure system for emergencycore cooling to ensure consistentseparation of the redundant trains aswell as independence from the nonsafetysystems. In the future, four newbypass valves installed in parallel withthe existing safety-relief valves willguarantee not only safe and reliabledepressurization of the reactor but alsodiversity of equipment design for thereactor pressure limitation function.Implementation of the new safetyconcept additionally requiredinstallation of new emergency powerswitchgear along with two newemergency diesel generators plus acompletely new four-channel reactorprotection system, provided by adifferent vendor based on FramatomeANP’s specifications.Large Scope of SupplyIn addition to the various systemupgrades, Framatome ANP’s scopeof supply also included design anderection of a new emergency controlbuilding to accommodate parts ofthe new ECCS, the new reactorprotection system, the new emergencypower switchgear and two newemergency diesels. The actual work onsite took around 13 months tocomplete. Despite the fact that anadditional order for backfitting a largepipe whip restraint – received shortlybefore the scheduled restart of theplant in November 2002 – led topostponement of the original restartdate, Framatome ANP’s on-sitepersonnel worked nights andweekends to ensure a return tocriticality by Christmas 2002,getting the plant back on line byJanuary 2, 2003.Framatome ANP’s successful planningand execution of the Oskarshamn 1modernization program furtherillustrates its extensive expertisefor complex backfitting andmodernization tasks. More than120 engineers from variousengineering disciplines were involvedin the project, with team and projectmanagers being supported bystate-of-the-art project managementtools and techniques.Oskarshamn 1: A MajorEnergy SupplierOskarshamn 1 plays a major rolein meeting the current high demandfor electricity in Sweden and theinterconnected Nordic power system.Extremely low temperatures in theregion this winter created ademand for power that could notbe met by hydropower plants dueto below-average precipitationin the summer and fall of 2002. ■Commissioning of new ECCS14 Advanced Nuclear Power N O 7 April 2003
SIPPING16: BWR Fuel Inspectionin World Record TimeThe SIPPING16 system developedby Framatome ANP in Germanyfor detecting leaking fuel in BWR coreshas now been deployed with greatsuccess at three German nuclear powerplant units. Measurements of reactorcoolant activity levels following thesipping tests at these plants verifiedthat all fuel assemblies containing fuelleakers had been identified bySIPPING16, thus confirming thesystem’s excellent reliability. Customershave made a point of stressing howsatisfied they are with the featuresof this innovative system.At the twin-unit BWR plantGundremmingen B and C, theSIPPING16 system supplied byFramatome ANP enabled all 784 fuelassemblies in each of the reactors to beinspected in just 16 hours – a worldrecord for inspections of this kind.This short inspection time was madepossible by the system’s sipping hoodthat allows up to 16 fuel assemblies tobe tested simultaneously for leaktightnessin just one operation. Thesystem also has been successfullydeployed on two occasions at theKrümmel BWR plant with a core of840 fuel assemblies.Special Requirementsfor Different CoreConfigurationsPlants with core configurations similarto that of the German BWR unit Isar 1can likewise use the SIPPING16 hoodfor sipping all of their fuel, with theexception of the 12 fuel assemblieslocated on the core periphery. These 12are inspected using Framatome ANP’sMAST SIPPING technique, deployeduntil recently only in PWRs, thatutilizes the same control and measuringequipment as the SIPPING16 system.Sipping hood being disconnected from refueling platform mastafter completion of sipping tests.A MAST SIPPING has now beenqualified for use in BWR plants, too.BWR plant operators can leak-testall of their fuel assemblies, evenin cores with different peripheralconfigurations using just one system:the SIPPING16 system with anintegral MAST SIPPING module.Market ProspectsSIPPING16, now a yardstickthroughout the world in terms ofminimized BWR fuel inspection timescombined with maximum reliability,has attracted more new customers.Isar 1, for example, also wishes tobenefit from these time savings duringits 2003 refueling outage and hasawarded Framatome ANP acorresponding contract.The Japanese utility Tokyo ElectricPower Company (TEPCO) hascommissioned Framatome ANPto study the feasibility of deployingSIPPING16 in its ABWR plants.With its fleet of 17 units, TEPCO isthe world’s largest operator of BWRnuclear power plants. ■Benefits of SIPPING16:• Significant savings in time and personneldue to reduction in inspection timefrom around 50 to 16 hours• Inspection results are calculated on-lineafter degassing water samples removedfrom each fuel assembly inserted ina core. The results are available aftereach sipping hood placement• Sipping tests can be carried outroutinely from the refueling platformusing a sipping hood for up to 16fuel assemblies at a time• Fully automatic system control, aswell as on-line data acquisition andprocessing, reduce workload forinspection personnel• By measuring water-soluble fissionproducts contained in grap watersamples, independent results from gasmeasurements are achievable. Thesesamples are considered as a referenceAdvanced Nuclear Power N O 7 April 2003 15
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Framatome ANP - AREVA

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