New steam generators fabricated at BWXT in Cambridge will be installed at Bruce Power's Unit 6 starting next month after the first steam generator was successfully removed from the station last week.
Eight new generators were shipped from the Cambridge plant in late 2020 to replace aging generators in Bruce Power's Unit 6, which is being refurbished as part of a program to extend the life of the unit until 2064.
Removing the first generator, completed July 23, marked a major milestone in Bruce Power’s Unit 6 Major Component Replacement (MCR) Project, said a press release. The remaining generators are set to be removed and replaced next month.
Each steam generator weighs approximately 320,000 pounds and will be lifted through the powerhouse roof enclosure using Mammoet’s PTC-35 crane, said the release.
The 1,600-ton capacity crane is one of the largest in the world and features a boom the length of a hockey rink that can stretch over the seven-storey-tall station and reach the inner-most steam generators.
“This first lift was preceded by a half a decade of preparations and was completed successfully thanks to our safe work plan, highly skilled construction trades as well as strong collaboration and communication with our vendor partner, SGRT,” Eric Chassard in the release.
“The team is now focused on the safe execution of the fifteen remaining lifts, which will be finished next month. We’re looking forward to marking off another successful milestone for the MCR project,” added the executive vice president, projects & engineering, Bruce Power.
Laser topography was conducted on the steam generators to transform them into a 3D layout to verify dimensions prior to the first lift. These will be set in place within a few millimeters tolerance, reads the press release.
“The steam generator replacement is a major milestone for the Unit 6 MCR, and represents years of hard work and collaboration between Bruce Power and our partners like SGRT, BWXT, Mammoet, Nuvia, and the Building Trades Unions,” said Mike Rencheck, Bruce Power’s President and CEO.
“Bruce Power’s ‘Made in Ontario’ nuclear supply chain supports Canada’s largest private infrastructure and clean energy project, which injects billions into Ontario’s economy and creates and sustains 22,000 high-skilled jobs annually.”
The Steam Generator Replacement Team (SGRT), a 50/50 joint venture between Aecon and SGT (a partnership between Framatome and United Engineers & Constructors), is Bruce Power’s vendor responsible for removing the Unit 6 steam generators and was recently awarded a contract to replace the steam generators at Units 3 and 4.
