LIFE EXTENSION | DRESDEN LICENCE RENEWAL
Looking ahead for Dresden
Dresden Units 2 and 3 licences have already been extended once, and now
Constellation Energy is seeking a ‘subsequent’ licence extension that would add a further 20 years. NEI takes a look at the expanded commitments this entails
DRESDEN 2 AND 3 ARE BWR/3S designed and supplied by GE Nuclear Energy. They sit on a site in Illinois, USA, along the Illinois, Des Plaines and Kankakee rivers. Dresden 1, which shares the site, is in a safe storage condition. Constellation Energy Generation is the licensed operator of the two units, which were originally licensed to operate at 2527 MWt, raised to 2957 MWt in 2001. Dresden 2’s operating licence will expire at midnight on 22 December 2029 and Dresden 3’s operating licence will expire at midnight on 12 January 2031. Both licences have already been extended once, and now Constellation is seeking a ‘subsequent’ licence extension that would add a further 20 years. Constellation’s ‘Subsequent Licence Renewal Application’
was submitted to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in April. It included a series of new aging management programmes and a larger number that would be enhanced. The summary below gives a flavour of the how the plant’s aging management programmes are being use to support the new life extension application.
New programmes The new mechanical programmes are related to potential material loss from components; embrittlement; inspection of less accessible areas such as internal pipe surfaces or buried pipes and cabling; or external factors such as water ingress. One adds a one-time inspection to the existing inspection regime.
External surfaces monitoring of mechanical components will manage loss of material of metallic components, as well as loss of material, cracking, blistering, hardening and loss of strength for elastomeric and polymeric components, and reduced thermal insulation resistance due to moisture intrusion. Periodic visual inspections of metallic components, elastomers, polymers, and insulation jacketing will be conducted on a two year frequency. For certain materials, such as flexible polymers and elastomers, physical manipulation to detect hardening or loss of strength will be used to augment these visual examinations. A sample of outdoor component surfaces that are insulated and a sample of indoor insulated components exposed to condensation (due to the in-scope component being operated below the dew point), will be periodically inspected every 10 years during the subsequent period of extended operation. Inspection of internal surfaces in miscellaneous piping and ducting components will manage loss of material, and cracking of metallic components, as well as loss of material, cracking, blistering, hardening and loss of strength of elastomeric materials. Reduction of heat transfer and flow blockage will also be managed. It will consist of visual inspections of all accessible internal surfaces of piping, piping components, ducting, heat exchanger components, polymeric and elastomeric components and other mechanical components. Visual inspections for leakage
Above: Dresden 2 and 3 are BWR/3s designed and supplied by GE Nuclear Energy 24 | June 2024 |
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