Areva’s nuclear reactor vessel flaws may be “costly”

Power Engineering ^ | 04/17/2015 | Power Engineering

[thackney]

The French nuclear regulator says anomalies found in Areva’s nuclear reactor technology are “very serious” and may be costly to fix.

Areva announced April 7 that it found weak spots in the bottom and lid of the European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) vessel, which could reduce the resistance of the metal. Areva said it discovered the flaw during mechanical and chemical tests of a representative model and reported the findings to the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).

The ASN told Reuters that a similar Areva forging technique had been used in five EPRs currently in the planning stage or under construction. Two are in Taishan, China and another two are set for the Hinkley Point C project in England. Components have been manufactured for one reactor at the Calvert Cliffs site in Maryland, the article said. Areva did not confirm in the article if the components for the Hinkley Point project had already been manufactured. The vessel for the Flamanville project in France has been largely installed, and results of more tests on that vessel are due in October.

An official was quoted as saying in the article that if those test results were negative, plant owner EDF would either have to abandon the project of take out the vessel and build a new one. The Flamanville project is already years behind schedule and billions of euros over budget. An EPR under construction in Olkiluoto, Finland, was not affected because the vessel was not forged by Areva, but by a Japanese company. That project is also behind schedule and over budget.

[thackney]

Areva asks NRC to suspend nuclear reactor design review
http://www.power-eng.com/articles/2015/03/areva-asks-nrc-to-suspend-nuclear-reactor-design-review.html

Areva’s request was made on Feb. 25, days before the France-based parent company announced losses of more than $5 billion for 2014, according to World Nuclear News. The company requested the NRC to suspend work on all submittals in active review and to not post any new charges to the EPR design certification docket after March 27.

The announcement also puts on hold plans for the Calvert Cliffs 3 nuclear unit in Maryland, which was going to use the EPR reactor design. Unistar Nuclear Energy also asked the NRC to suspend review of its combined operating license application just days after Areva’s request.

The U.S. EPR is based on the EPR reactor currently under construction in France and Finland and planned for construction at Hinkley Point C in the UK, the article said.

[Abathar]

[Rodamala]

[Abathar]

Love that stuff, my go-to for almost any fix-it project. Usually the duct tape is there just to hold it until the JB hardens.