Reactor-coolant-pump-seal improvement

Technical Report · Sat May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1982

OSTI ID:5239450

Albert, W W

An investigation of PWR reactor coolant pump seal performance at seven operating nuclear power plants equipped with Combustion Engineering designed Nuclear Steam Supply Systems was performed between May and November of 1981. Also, a video tape training film was produced which includes RCP seal maintenance operations at the San Onofre Unit 2. Average RCP seal operating lifetime was 13 months, with a range of 0 to 54 months. Most RCP seal replacements were performed during forced outages due to seal failure. Seal replacement caused between 4 to 5 man-rem to the maintenance workers. Less than 5% of the man-rem exposure was received during seal rebuild maintenance. The study's conclusions were that the RCP seal does not appear to need design improvements to achieve longer lifetime. Rather, improved maintenance techniques and seal spare parts quality assurance, dose reduction techniques, and special tools are required to reduce seal failure frequency and radiation dose received.

• Research Organization: Combustion Engineering, Inc., Windsor, CT (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-81NE34079
• OSTI ID: 5239450
• Report Number(s): DOE/NE/34079-T3; CEND-00400; ON: DE82016982
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
210200* -- Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
COOLING SYSTEMS
ENERGY SYSTEMS
MAINTENANCE
PERFORMANCE
PRIMARY COOLANT CIRCUITS
PUMPS
PWR TYPE REACTORS
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REACTOR COOLING SYSTEMS
REACTOR MAINTENANCE
REACTORS
RELIABILITY
SEALS
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS