REDUCING OUTAGE TIME WITH USE OF TEMPORARY REACTOR HEAD

摘要

Due to the high cost of replacement power, utilities are trying to maximize the amount of maintenance activities performed while minimizing the duration of their refueling outages. Some of the required maintenance activities that need to be completed may seem to be mutually exclusive, that is, one activity may require the refueling cavity to be flooded while another may require that the reactor coolant level be lowered below the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) flange level. The Temporary Reactor Head (TRH) is designed to seal the RPV from the refueling cavity after the RPV head is removed. With the TRH installed, the refueling cavity may remain flooded while the reactor vessel coolant level is lowered. This combination of controlled water levels allows once mutually exclusive maintenance activities to be performed simultaneously.