Feedwater heater life optimization at Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station
- Powerfect, Inc., East Hanover, NJ (United States)
- PECO Energy Co., Delta, PA (United States)
Many papers published over the last 15 years have strongly emphasized the need for an ongoing program of inspection and testing with subsequent failure cause analysis of feedwater heaters. With deregulation of the electric utility industry in various phases of implementation, utilities must decrease costs, both O&M and capital, while optimizing plant efficiency. In order to accomplish this coal, utility engineers must monitor feedwater heater performance in order to recognize degradation, correct/eliminate failure mechanisms, and prevent in-service failures while optimizing availability. Periodic tube plugging without complete analysis of the degraded/failed area resolves the immediate need for return for service, however, heater life will not be graded/failed area resolves optimized. This paper illustrates a complete inspection, testing, and maintenance program implemented at PECO Energy`s Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station (PBAPS). Concerns that tubes may have been too conservatively plugged due to insufficient data justified a program that included: (1) Removal of previously installed plugs. (2) Videoprobe inspection of failed areas. (3) Extraction of tube samples for further analysis. (4) Eddy current testing of selected tubes. (5) Evaluation of the condition of {open_quotes}insurance{close_quotes} plugged tubes for return to service. (6) Hydrostatic testing of selected tubes. (7) Final repair plan based on the results of the above program. This paper concludes that no single method of inspection or testing should solely be relied upon in establishing: (1) The extent of actual degraded conditions, (2) The source(s) of failure mechanisms, (3) The details of repair. It is a combination of all gathered data that affords the best chance in arresting problems and optimizing feedwater heater life.
- Research Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 227008
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-TR-105876; CONF-9509192-; TRN: 96:001699-0010
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: EPRI feedwater heater technology symposium, Kansas City, MO (United States), 25-26 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: Dec 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings: 1995 Feedwater heater technology symposium; PB: 270 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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