Energy | The investigation of Olkiluoto 3 pump damage continues, the reactor schedule is still open

The date of the continuation of the power plant’s trial operation program is not yet known, TVO says.

Olkiluoton The investigation of the damage to the feed water pumps of the nuclear power plant’s triple reactor is still in progress, informs Teollisuuden Voima (TVO), which owns the power plant.

TVO cannot yet say when the facility’s trial operation program will continue. In October, the company estimated that the trial run would continue at full capacity on November 13.

In October, damage was observed in the inner parts of the feed water pumps of the Olkiluoto 3 turbine plant during maintenance and inspection work. Cracks were found in all four feedwater pump impellers.

“The cause of the damage and the mechanism are still open. We don’t even know the possible impact on the schedule,” says TVO’s communications manager Johanna Aho.

Due to pump damage, TVO has postponed its assessment of the reactor’s regular electricity production. In October, the estimated start date was December 27.

See also  Class council wants to punish Jordan Peterson, says psychologist

Aho says that TVO currently does not have a schedule for the continuation of the trial operation of Olkiluoto 3 and the start of regular electricity production. The company will announce a new schedule when the results of the investigation work are received.

Olkiluoton trial operation of the triple reactor began this year. The plant reached its full 1,600 megawatt capacity for the first time on September 30.

According to TVO’s Aho, the trial run of Olkiluoto 3 went well in the fall. The company was able to complete all the lower power level tests and progressed in trial operation to full power tests before the planned maintenance outage, during which damage to the turbine plant’s feedwater pumps was discovered.

There are still about ten full power tests left. Lower power tests are usually more demanding than full power tests because the nuclear power plant was designed to operate at full power.

A nuclear power plant feedwater pumps located at the turbine plant pump water from the feedwater tank to the evaporators.

See also  Caravan of the Year 2024 is perfect for electric cars

TVO says that the company that supplied the feed water pumps is an experienced pump supplier and has supplied pumps to several nuclear power plants.

According to TVO, several reports, analyzes and investigations are currently underway. They are used to try to get an answer to what causes the distortions and how to resolve the matter.

The company says that one damaged impeller has been split and the parts have been sent to different laboratories for examination.

The impeller is also laser scanned. It was used to find out the exact geometry of the device with a 3d model.

In addition, TVO has investigated in detail the operating history and operating conditions of the feed water pumps during the commissioning of the power plant.

TVO says that it will inform about the possible effects of the results on the schedule as soon as the investigations are completed.

#Energy #investigation #Olkiluoto #pump #damage #continues #reactor #schedule #open

Related Posts

Next Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended