On July 12 the acceptance tests of automatic remote system for installing blinds on heat exchange pipes of steam generators were successfully completed.
According to Rosenergoatom press-center, specialists of Spanish company Tecnatom, Swedish company WesDyne TRC and Slovak company VUJE took part in this tests. Besides, foreign colleague taught Kola NPP specialists how to use new equipment.
VUJE engineer Adrian Kovalik told about the purpose and content of this system. "The check of heat-exchange pipes of steam generator was carried out during the repair work planned, which usually reveals various defects of pipes. Heat-exchange pipes with critical defects should be closed by blinds. This procedure will become more effective, if to use new automatic system that will lead to improving safety and reliability of NPP equipment operation. Earlier all operations for installing blinds were hand operated.
The use of automatic remote system allows to install 4 blinds an hour. The manipulators designed by us have been already successfully used at NPP Bohunice (Slovakia) Dukovani and Temelin and South-Ukraine NPP.
Kovalik said that Russian specialists mastered very quickly this new technique and they are already doing these operations well.
SOURCE: AtomInfo.Ru
DATE: July 28, 2007