Framatome manages nearly two-thirds of the world’s nuclear plants with more than 60 locations in 20 countries and supports its customers from start to finish; from designing through commissioning reactors to offering all related services.
The nuclear industry requires demanding, multi-disciplinary and highly technical know-how. For more than 60 years, our teams have been designing and supplying nuclear equipment, powering operations, maintenance and engineering services to both existing nuclear facilities and those under construction. We offer our customers products, services and solutions to improve the availability and competitiveness of their facilities across the world, while strengthening nuclear safety conditions.
Challenge Reactor vessel head (RVH) nozzle penetrations, bottom mounted nozzle (BMN) instrumentation penetrations, and reactor vessel primary nozzles are comprised of Alloy 600 welded with Alloy 82/182 and are highly susceptible to primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC). Plant operators have historically had two options — component replacement or repairs — both of which are costly and significantly impact outage critical path. So Framatome, as you would expect any leader to do, introduced a third option: UHP Cavitation Peening. This process uses submerged, ultra-high-pressure water jets to work the surface of reactor vessel components. The high-pressure water flow creates vapor bubbles. As these vapor bubbles collapse on the component’s surface, shock waves travel into the material and create compressive residual stresses. The controlled peening prevents PWSCC initiation.
“Nuclear Power Facilities are highly controlled sites as you can imagINe. We have a proprietary peening process we utilize that is more cost effective than replacement or repair of components. The project took a little longer with today’s supply chain constraints, but we are pleased with the results and are scheduling deployment of these systems in sites now!”
Framatome has lots of experience with ultra high pressure pumps in their peening application, having specified Jet Edge pumps a decade earlier. They knew the IP60-200 Ultra High Pressure Intensifier Pump provided both the water flow and water pressure required and was the base model to build from. However, on the first purchase from Jet Edge, Framatome’s engineering team incorporated their custom requirements after the pumps were manufactured and delivered to them. With this project, they wanted all of the custom electronics installed at the factory.
Engaging with Jet Edge’s engineering team, a host of additional control features were identified as requirements on this next set of pumps.
To improve the visual monitoring of performance, the front panel was modified. A Flow Meter was installed in the front door panel to display incoming process water flow rates to the peening head. The panel was also modified to indicate the status of various functions via LED lights.
Framatome engineers developed a custom application to run on a laptop allowing them to monitor and control the equipment remotely. To accomplish this, a fiber optic communications system was designed to include a phase monitor, a custom printed circuit board (with relays on it used for control) and a digital-to-optical converter (for communication to the customer’s PC) and incorporated into the IP60 200.
The Analog data is received from the printed circuit board and converted to Ethernet. Ethernet is attached to the optical converter and communicates to a remote laptop.
Certain high voltage modifications were incorporated to meet additional safety features called out by Framatome. Incoming power is monitored and shuts the system down if it moves outside of specified operating ranges.
Framatome’s teams design and provide equipment, services and fuel for nuclear power plants.
For more than 60 years, Framatome has been addressing the major challenges faced by its customers from throughout the world thanks to its complete portfolio of solutions and services. Our activities enable customers to optimize the availability and competitiveness of their facilities, while strengthening nuclear safety conditions.
