It’s another step finished, and another first, for the multi million dollar Bruce A Restart Project.
Executive Vice President of Project Management and Construction, John Sauger, says they’ve successfully installed 480 calandria tubes into Unit 2.
These tubes house the fuel channels, which enlongate over time and can no longer be used.
Sauger says past refurbishments at other plants see just those fuel channels replaced, but Bruce Power wanted to replace the entire “guts” of the reactor to ensure safety and longevity.
Sauger adds this is the first time this has been done in the industry, and now reactor companies in New Brunswick and Korea are following Bruce Power’s lead.
In order to finish the project, the tubes had to be tested at both end, and Sauger says not one of the 960 leak tests failed.
He says it’s a testament to the craftsmanship of Ontario’s tradespeople, technicians and engineers who built the tubes.
The work began on June 8th, and took over a month to finish with the final tube installed on July 28th.
Sauger acknowledges the refurbishment of Bruce A is behind schedule, but he says they wanted to focus on safety, and not just get it done for the sake of getting it done.
He says because this was the first time a project like this has been done, they ran into some unexpected challenges, which prolonged the installation.
Next, new fuel channels will be installed.
Sauger says the same work will be done at Bruce A’s Unit 1, which is about four months behind Unit 2’s lead.
