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Operational experience at Fort St. Vrain

Abstract

The Fort St. Vrain (FSV) station, a 330-MW(e) single reheat steam cycle powered by a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), is the first HTGR to enter commercial operation. Designed and built by General Atomic Company (GA), the plant is owned and operated by Public Service Company of Colorado (PSC). Many unique design features have been incorporated into this reactor system, including high-pressure helium as the primary system coolant, a graphite-moderated prismatic block core design, fission-product-containing carbide coatings on both fissile and fertile fuel particles, steam-driven helium circulators turning on water bearings, and once-through steam generators. All of these systems are contained in a prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV). Extensive testing has been conducted during the rise to power following first criticality early in 1974 to verify system design performance. During this period, the plant has operated at power levels up to 70% and produced over one billion kilowatt hours of electricity. In 1979, the first refueling was conducted in conjunction with an extensive in-core inspection, the addition of in-core instrumentation, and a planned removal of a circulator for inspection.
Authors:
Bramblett, G. C.; Fisher, C. R.; Swart, F. E. [1] 
  1. General Atomic Co., San Diego, CA (USA)
Publication Date:
Jan 15, 1981
Product Type:
Conference
Report Number:
IWGGCR-1; CONF-800946-(Summ.)
Reference Number:
AIX-12-629868; ERA-06-036160; EDB-81-120577
Resource Relation:
Conference: IAEA specialists meeting on gas cooled reactor safety and licensing aspects, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1 Sep 1980; Related Information: In: Specialists meeting on gas-cooled reactor safety and licensing aspects, Lausanne, Switzerland, 1-3 September 1980. Summary report.
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; VRAIN REACTOR; REACTOR OPERATION; REACTOR START-UP; PERFORMANCE TESTING; REACTOR COMMISSIONING; REACTOR COMPONENTS; REACTOR LICENSING; REACTOR SAFETY; REACTOR SHUTDOWN; ENRICHED URANIUM REACTORS; GAS COOLED REACTORS; GRAPHITE MODERATED REACTORS; HELIUM COOLED REACTORS; HTGR TYPE REACTORS; LICENSING; OPERATION; POWER REACTORS; REACTORS; SAFETY; SHUTDOWNS; START-UP; TESTING; 210300* - Power Reactors, Nonbreeding, Graphite Moderated
OSTI ID:
8469690
Country of Origin:
IAEA
Language:
English
Submitting Site:
INIS
Size:
Pages: 6-10
Announcement Date:
Oct 01, 1981

Citation Formats

Bramblett, G. C., Fisher, C. R., and Swart, F. E. Operational experience at Fort St. Vrain. IAEA: N. p., 1981. Web.
Bramblett, G. C., Fisher, C. R., & Swart, F. E. Operational experience at Fort St. Vrain. IAEA.
Bramblett, G. C., Fisher, C. R., and Swart, F. E. 1981. "Operational experience at Fort St. Vrain." IAEA.
@misc{etde_8469690,
title = {Operational experience at Fort St. Vrain}
author = {Bramblett, G. C., Fisher, C. R., and Swart, F. E.}
abstractNote = {The Fort St. Vrain (FSV) station, a 330-MW(e) single reheat steam cycle powered by a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), is the first HTGR to enter commercial operation. Designed and built by General Atomic Company (GA), the plant is owned and operated by Public Service Company of Colorado (PSC). Many unique design features have been incorporated into this reactor system, including high-pressure helium as the primary system coolant, a graphite-moderated prismatic block core design, fission-product-containing carbide coatings on both fissile and fertile fuel particles, steam-driven helium circulators turning on water bearings, and once-through steam generators. All of these systems are contained in a prestressed concrete reactor vessel (PCRV). Extensive testing has been conducted during the rise to power following first criticality early in 1974 to verify system design performance. During this period, the plant has operated at power levels up to 70% and produced over one billion kilowatt hours of electricity. In 1979, the first refueling was conducted in conjunction with an extensive in-core inspection, the addition of in-core instrumentation, and a planned removal of a circulator for inspection.}
place = {IAEA}
year = {1981}
month = {Jan}
}