Newsletter. Headlines. January - February January 2014

Transcription

1 Headlines Trillo NPP: DPT Casks loaded by Ensa/ENWESA - February 2014 Recognition of the Nuclear España Magazine - February 2014 R+D: Participation of Ensa in EEA Grants - February 2014 ENSA: Delivery of Heat Exchangers to Flamanville 3 NPP - February 2014 Recognition of the Photonic Engineering Group (GIF) of the UC - January 2014 ENSA: Two AP100 Generators Shipped to China - January 2014 Strictest manufacturing for RRVCH s - January 2014 ENSA: Institute of Nuclear Material Management - January 2014 Tecnatom will carry out special inspections and tests at Angra (Brazil) between 2014 and February 2014 New contract for Laguna Verde - February 2014 Tecnatom participates in Cleansky - February 2014 IAEA Tecnatom Course on Physics & Technology of Water-cooled Reactors through the use of PC-based Simulators - February 2014 Tecnatom passes the acceptance tests for two new aeronautical systems - February 2014 Tecnatom has delivered a new edition of the course on the NOISE application - February 2014 Fuel assembly reconstitution campaign and fuel rod corrosion characterization at Tihange 3 NPP - January 2014 Enusa works with ANAV to support Zinc Addition Programs - January 2014 Ringo valvulas certificates - January 2014

2 Trillo NPP: DPT Casks loaded by Ensa/ENWESA - February 2014 Last 20 February, Ensa and ENWESA personnel finished, as per the required schedule, the conditioning activities, loading and transportation of two DPT type casks (numbers 024 and 025) to the independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) of the Trillo NPP located in Guadalajara. With these two dual purpose casks, designed for the reliable and safe storage and transportation of 21 spent fuel elements, there are twenty-five casks operating in the ISFSI of the Trillo NPP, all of them supplied by Ensa and loaded by Ensa and ENWESA personnel as per the strictest quality, safety and reliability requirements. Ensa has extensive experience in the spent fuel casks field as manufacturer, licenser and designer (including proprietary designs) and in performing loading and handling operations at nuclear power plants. Recognition of the Nuclear España Magazine - February 2014 The September 2013 issue of Nuclear España, a magazine of the Spanish Nuclear Society (SNE) issued by Senda Editorial, focusing on the international nuclear market has been recognized as the best special monographic issue by the Publishing Committee of the magazine. This number includes the article On-Site Services, and Luis Pascual (ENWESA) has been especially recognized by the Committee for his personal contribution to the awarded article. The article summarizes the ENWESA experience in the international market (France, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Mexico, Brazil, etc.) wince it was founded in 1985, as well the most significant experiences in innovative projects such as ITER.

3 R+D: Participation of Ensa in EEA Grants - February 2014 Ensa will present the DESTER project, Decontamination of Soils and Materials from Demolished Radiological Installations, during the Promoting Spanish Norwegian Bilateral Cooperation Through the EEA Grants meeting that will be held in Madrid next 17 and 18 February. The Ambassador of Norway in Spain, the CDI CEO and President as well representatives of the founder countries, European Commission, Spanish Ministry of Finance and Public Administrations and CDTI (Centro para el DesarrolloTecnológico Industrial of the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness) will take part in the meeting. ENSA: Delivery of Heat Exchangers to Flamanville 3 NPP - February 2014 Last 22 January, the last 2 heat exchangers of a total of 21 units ordered by EDF for the Flamanville 3 NPP (France), where an EPR type reactor is due to start operating in 2016, have been delivered by Ensa. These heat exchangers, model REA 93, have been supplied by a joint venture in which Ensa is one of the two companies forming the venture. After the installation at the plant, in which Ensa personnel will be involved, the equipment will be tested and commissioned.

4 ENSA: Recognition of the Photonic Engineering Group (GIF) of the UC - January 2014 The Optical Society (OSA), an international institution founded in 1916 and a leading professional society for scientists, engineers, students and business leaders in the science of light, has announced that José Miguel López-Higuera of the University of Cantabria has been elevated to the rank of OSA Fellow Member in recognition of his technical contributions to optical sensing and his contributions to promoting photonics in Spain. Ensa and the Photonic Engineering Group (GIF) of the Cantabria University have a long-term and successful collaboration relationship, jointly developing numerous innovative optical devices for the monitoring of special welding processes. Currently, the GIF is participating with Ensa in the TOMATIN project Optical Technologies for the Monitoring of Key Processes in the Nuclear Industry at high Temperatures, whose principal targets are the investigation, development and validation of photonic applications for the monitoring of Ensa special manufacturing processes. ENSA: Two AP100 Generators Shipped to China - January 2014 Last 30 January, two AP1000 Steam Generators were shipped from the Ensa facility to China. Previously, on 27 December, Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Equipment Company (SENPEC), Sanmen Nuclear Power Company (SMNPC) and State Nuclear Power Engineering Company (SNPEC) representatives participated in the end of manufacturing ceremony at the Ensa shop. This last generation components manufacturing, carried out as per the strictest quality and safety requirements, has required the development of innovative manufacturing and testing processes, for example the automatic welding system for the joint between the recirculation pump casings to the steam generators shells, and the effort and commitment of all Ensa personnel involved in the project, which has been kindly recognized by the customers. These two steam generators, weighing 700 tons and 27 meters in length, whose final assembly will be performed by SENPEC prior to the final delivery to Sanmen 2 nuclear power plant, are the last of 7 steam generators supplied by Ensa to the Chinese market (Qinshan 2, Hainan and Sanmen 2). Ensa has also supplied spent fuel casks for Daya Bay, fuel racks for Linao and heat exchangers for Taishan.

5 ENSA: Strictest manufacturing for RRVCH s - January 2014 The two recently shipped replacement reactor vessel cover heads (RRVCH) for the Swiss plant of Beznau Units 1 and Unit 2, owned by AXPO POWER AG, have been satisfactorily manufactured and tested as per the strictest quality and safety standards. As an example, the hydraulic test has been performed at 1.43 times the design pressure and the surface of the J-welds of the CRDMs (control rod drive mechanisms) has been electro-polished. ENSA: Institute of Nuclear Material Management- January 2014 Ensa has proactively participated in the last seminar on spent fuel management organized by the Institute of Nuclear Material Management (INMM) in Arlington, VA (USA) on the 13th to 15th of January. David Garrido, head of design and licensing of spent fuel casks at Ensa, presented the Spanish Scenario for Spent Fuel Management, describing spent fuel management in Spain, the participants and the current and future needs and strategies (supply and handling of casks and the ATC, the Centralized Interim Storage Facility), in which Ensa is a significant player as designer, licenser and operator of fuel racks and casks. The Institute of Nuclear Material Management is a nonprofit technical organization recognized around the world whose main target since 1958 is to promote research and development in the fuel management sector, as well as the practical application of best concepts in order to assure safety during production, use, storage, transport, handling, protection, accounting and other essential aspects involved in the essential elements of the civilian nuclear fuel cycle.

6 Tecnatom will carry out special inspections and tests at Angra (Brazil) between 2014 and February Following a lengthy international bidding process, Eletrobras- Eletronuclear S.A. has awarded Tecnatom a multiple cycle contract for the performance of Special Inspections and Tests at units 1 and 2 of Angra nuclear power plant over the next five years. For the execution of this contract, Tecnatom will receive support from Westinghouse Electric and Iberdrola Ingeniería y Construcción. During the period from 2014 to 2018, which will include eight refueling outages, Tecnatom will perform the non-destructive tests and inspections to be applied to the main components and systems of the primary circuits of the two units of this Brazilian nuclear power plant. Among the most important tasks to be performed, particularly significant are the mechanized ultrasonic inspections of the vessels and internals of both reactors, the eddy current inspection and sludge lancing of the steam generators, the ultrasonic inspection of the main primary circuit piping and components, the diagnosis of motor-operated valves, the maintenance and testing of snubbers, the integrated leak testing of the containment of unit 2 and the visual inspection of the main pumps, pressurizer and steam generators of unit 2. The award of this contract rounds off a year, 2013, in which the foundations were laid for a strategy of long-term consolidation of the presence of the Tecnatom Group in Brazil. In this respect, during 2013 the Tecnatom Group has also achieved several other contracts in that country, particularly significant being the design, manufacturing and supply of a passive scanner for the nuclear fuel manufacturing facility of INB (Industrias Nucleares do Brasil), the periodic safety review at Angra 1 and the development and application of training programmes for the operators and other professionals of Angra NPP units 1 and 2. These four new contracts are added to the fifteen service contracts executed throughout 2013, including the supply of a full-scope simulator and the control room design review for Angra 1, the training of operating personnel, the verification and validation of plant modifications, review of the operating procedures and the inspection of thimbles, control rods, turbine rotors and primary circuit piping, as well as the inspection and repair of the KBA 02 heat exchanger at Angra 2.

7 New contract for Laguna Verde - February As a result of the international call for bids published by the Comisión Federal de Electricidad in mid- December 2013, Tecnatom has been awarded a contract for the diagnosis of motor- and air-operated valves, as well as for the maintenance and functional testing of snubbers, to be performed during the refueling outages of units 1 and 2 of Laguna Verde nuclear power plant (Mexico). The work will be performed during the months of March and April, in the case of unit 1, and June and July in unit 2. For this project, the Tecnatom technical team will be aided by the support personnel of our partner in Mexico, Grupo IAI. A total of 112 motor-operated valves and 15 air-operated valves will be diagnosed. Furthermore, the scope of the snubber maintenance and testing will include 250 such components. The award of this project is a continuation of the valve diagnosis and snubber maintenance services provided by Tecnatom at Laguna Verde since the years 2009 and 2005, respectively, the company having been present in a total of 9 refueling outages at the Mexican plant. Furthermore, in recent years Tecnatom has become a preferred supplier of valves and spares for the Laguna Verde plant, having obtained several significant contracts for the supply of this type of component. In addition, in late 2013 Tecnatom held a workshop at Laguna Verde aimed at consolidating new opportunities in the areas of safety, operation and training, as well as in inspection and testing services. The subjects discussed included the modernization of control rooms, human factors engineering, safety management, simulation, the supply of equipment and spares, leak testing, HVAC tests and lifetime management. The workshop, which was attended by almost one hundred professionals from the Mexican plant, was inaugurated by the plant manager and dealt in detail with the expansion of the nuclear program in Mexico, with the possible construction of four new units, two on the Laguna Verde site and another two on the Pacific Ocean.

8 Tecnatom participates in Cleansky, the most important European initiative aimed at achieving a cleaner sky - February More efficient aircraft to achieve cleaner skies and lower noise levels: this is the objective of Cleansky, one of the most ambitious projects implemented by the European Union through public-private collaboration between several companies and institutions in which Tecnatom is going to participate, contributing with its knowhow in the area of non-destructive testing. The project aims to unite the industry in the investigation of new methods, materials and systems applicable to future aircraft models, with a view to reducing their environmental impact to below current levels. The project will be managed by the Clean Sky Joint Undertaking (CSJU), which will develop demonstrators in all segments of civil air transport, grouped into six areas of technology and known as Integrated Technology Demonstrators (ITD). Airbus, which is leading several ITD, has awarded the DiAAMond proposal precisely to the consortium Tecnatom-CATEC to develop novel inspection approaches and automated systems for monitoring composite damage on line. Thus, our company joins in the project and will provide its expertise in non-destructive testing and in developing innovative inspection techniques such as thermography, shearography, air coupled ultrasounds and notably laser ultrasounds, which have turned it into a global point of reference in that area. This new collaboration will help to strengthen the relationship between Airbus and Tecnatom, which have already jointly developed other initiatives such as TARGET and LusTeam.

9 IAEA Tecnatom Course on Physics & Technology of Water-cooled Reactors through the use of PC-based Simulators - February Along with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tecnatom has hosted and delivered a course on physics and technology of water-cooled reactors through the use of PC-based simulators. The course required a high technical level and was attended by participants from Argentina, Finland, Germany, Pakistan, Slovakia, Ukraine and Vietnam. It included master classes by experts from Russia and the United States, who dealt with VVER and PWR technologies, respectively. This course has been the first of its kind organized by Tecnatom and has served to strengthen the company s collaboration with the IAEA and establish a basis for the organization of this type of international training courses in the future. The sessions were organized by the Tecnatom International Training Centre, the activities of which focus on nuclear training, at all levels, at nuclear power plants outside Spain. Its expertise in the wide range of different reactor technologies allow the International Training Centre to prepare operators for nuclear power plants as different as Atucha II in Argentina (PHWR), Angra in Brazil (PWR), Barakah in the United Arab Emirates (APR-1400) and Sanmen in China (AP1000).

10 Tecnatom passes the acceptance tests for two new aeronautical systems - February At the end of last year, Tecnatom successfully completed the process of acceptance of the system supplied to Aerocomposit, the Russian technology center dedicated to the manufacturing of aeronautical components with composite materials. Aerocomposit acquired a robot-operated inspection system mounted on a linear track and based on phased array ultrasonic testing technology for its factory in Ulianovsk. Having passed the acceptance testing phase, the system is now ready for the inspection of wing spars and skins manufactured from composites for the programs of the Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi. Sukhoi is the world s third largest producer of combat aircraft and the largest in Russia with the capacity to cover the complete cycle of aircraft manufacturing, from engineering to after-sales services. Integrated into the Russian aeronautical holding JSC and with a workforce of more than 26,000 people, the company s business plan for the coming years contemplates the extension of its portfolio of engineering services to cover civil and military aviation. In addition to this, a new system supplied to GNTP, the South Korea Research Centre for Composite Materials for the Aeronautical Industry, has also passed the phase of acceptance testing and is now being prepared for entry into production. In early 2013 this technology center acquired an ultrasonic inspection system based on Twin-Robot equipment running on a linear track and transmission by water jet or independent inspection in local immersion. With the acceptance testing now completed, the system is being prepared for the inspection of complex geometry helicopter and fixed wing aircraft components manufactured in composites. These activities in Russia and Korea serve to consolidate Tecnatom s plan for development in these countries and allow the company to continue with the diversification of its portfolio of inspection system products.

11 Tecnatom has delivered a new edition of the course on the NOISE application - February Tecnatom has delivered a new edition of the course on the NOISE (Neutronic Oscillation Influence System Evaluation) application. This tool came about in response to the requirements issued by the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) with a view to gaining indepth insight into the influence on operation (activation of alarms) of neutron flux measures performed on the reactor limitation system. NOISE is an off-line tool that simulates the power calculation circuit of the reactor protection system. It is fed with actual neutron flux data with a frequency of 100 Hz and is designed for the predictive analysis of limitation system alarms. Tecnatom has participated actively in the presentation of the application to the CSN, and the regulatory body considered that NOISE clearly met the established requirements. Fuel assembly reconstitution campaign and fuel rod corrosion characterization at Tihange 3 NPP - January Last January 2014, Enusa and its partners, Tecnatom, WTS and ENWESA, carried out a nuclear fuel service campaign in the Belgian nuclear power plant of TIHANGE-3. The campaign had two main purposes: first to repair a fuel assembly and second to characterize some irradiated peripheral fuel rods to verify the oxide layer thickness.

12 Enusa works with ANAV to support Zinc Addition Programs - January In 2002, ANAV, the company operating Ascó I & II and Vandellós II NPPs, started to consider a zinc addition program for its reactors. The expected benefit of this program, taking advantage of zinc s ability to replace cobalt and nickel in oxides of the primary circuit surfaces, was not only to reduce radiation fields, but also to reduce PWSCC (Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking). However, there are some potential side effects on the fuel, due to crud composition changes and crud thickening, which need to be prevented: increased risks of Axial Offset Anomaly (AOA) and of a higher cladding corrosion rate. Ringo valvulas certificates - January Ringo renews its quality certificate API 6A (VALVES AND CHOKES PSL 1 A PSL4) and API 6D. And obtains a new quality certificate: API 6DSS (ball and check valves). Certificates