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Replacing a condenser coils is not common in the nuclear industry
2011-3-20For the previous decade, vitality Northwest has shut straight down the Columbia producing Station each and every other twelve weeks to include fresh new fuel, do upkeep and make improvements that occur to be hard or not possible once the plant is producing nuclear power.
Typically, the outages last 35 to 45 days. But this year, vitality Northwest is estimating the fact that plant could possibly be straight down for about 80 days.
About a 3rd from the plant's 764 fuel assemblies could possibly be transformed with new fuel, as is common for the outages. The additional time for this outage is required primarily to replace the plant's 25-year-old condenser coils, which turns steam created by boiling consuming water using the nuclear reactor back again into consuming water for re-use.
The condenser coils has turn out to be much less reputable by method of the years. But by producing the cycle a good offer more efficient, the 1,150-megawatt Columbia producing Station is anticipated to obtain twelve megawatts of electrical power generation. Replacing the condenser coils is anticipated to cost $113 million, however the additional electrical power produced is anticipated to spend for the brand new condenser coils much more than time.
A dozen condenser coils modules, each and every weighing 100,000 pounds, are ready to turn out to be build on the plant perfect after the outdated condenser coils is reduce apart and slid outside onto a motorized auto produced to look after large heavy loads.
Replacing a condenser coils is not common using the nuclear industry, in accordance with vitality Northwest. The last substitution of the boiling consuming water reactor condenser coils using america was in 1991 on the Peach Bottom plant in Pennsylvania.
In add-on in the direction of the condenser coils replacement, extensive upkeep could possibly be carried out through the outage.
"Maintenance guarantees apparel reliability, improves performance and maintains our stringent protection margins," mentioned Mike Paoli, vitality Northwest spokesman.
Energy Northwest has ready about 3,100 purpose orders to support 16,000 dude or girls duties through the outage, Paoli said.
The spending budget of $152 million for the outage consists of $42 million of expenditures using the present fiscal twelve weeks for the condenser coils substitution and $11 million for valve purpose through the plant, $6 million for the principal generator rotor substitution and $4 million for normal upkeep over a low-pressure turbine.
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