Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Snubber reduction program at the Byron Station, Unit 1

Conference · · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6942757

Commonwealth Edison Company's (CECo's) Byron Station, unit 1, was originally designed with approximately 1200 snubbers supporting the plant's large- and small-bore piping systems. This relatively large number of snubbers is attributed to excessive conservatism in nuclear piping codes and regulations effective during the original piping design. A recent pilot program at CECo's LaSalle County Station, a boiling water reactor plant, demonstrated that a 50% or greater reduction in total snubber population is achievable in plants of this design vintage. Based on the successful results of the pilot program, CECo initiated a full scale snubber reduction program at Byron, a pressurized water reactor plant of the same vintage at the LaSalle County Station. The benefits from a reduced snubber population are described. To realize the maximum potential benefits, all snubbers in the plant were prioritized in order of desirability for removal. The priority designations are discussed. The major results from phase 1 of the Byron program are summarized. The NRC inspection of the project addressed a variety of issues and is discussed. The conclusions that can be drawn from the phase 1 program are summarized.

OSTI ID:
6942757
Report Number(s):
CONF-8711195-
Journal Information:
Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States), Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Vol. 55; ISSN TANSA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English