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UNRESTRICTED | ILLIMITÉ According to the Bruce Power restart website http://216.128.16.171/pagecontentU12.aspx?navuid=29 , Bruce unit 2 has achieved first criticality since it was refurbished/retubed. Return to Operations update - April 5, 2012 Over the course of 2012, Bruce Power will return both Units 1 and 2 to commercial operation following refurbishment activities. These units have been both out service since the early-1990s and when restarted will provide Ontario with 1,500 megawatts of additional electricity. Bruce Power will be posting updates on the regulatory and plant status of each unit as the return to operations program progresses. Unit 2 (Lead Unit) Regulatory Status · On March 23, Bruce Power received approval from the Canadian Nuclear Safety (CNSC to remove shutdown guarantees and progress the return to operations of the unit involving the commissioning and testing of systems.
· As of March 31, low power testing was complete. Low power testing is carried out at very low reactor power levels (less than .01 per cent) and includes verifying that all shutdown and reactor control systems are working as expected and that reactor performance is meeting predicted parameters. · On April 1 we returned to the guaranteed shutdown state to remove start-up instrumentation that was required for low power testing. We are now moving to the next phase, which is heat-up of systems and includes testing of steam and electrical control systems on the conventional side of the plant. This phase will take a little over two weeks to complete. · On April 5 we returned the reactor to the guaranteed shutdown state to carry-out repairs to a filter vessel after a minor leak was identified and isolated. These repairs will be complete on April 6. · Next phase is on the heat-up of system and the conventional side of the plant so we can continue to test existing components in the plant. Unit 1 Regulatory Status · Continues to operate under OPGSS, while a number of commissioning activities are underway. Plant Status · Containment system pressure tests are complete. This ensures the containment system is ready for operation and connection to the larger Bruce A system. · Fuelled reactor remains in over-poisoned guaranteed shutdown state. Preparations are underway for bulkhead removal. Bulkhead removal reconnects the reactor containment to the vacuum building and is one of the steps necessary to allow removal of the shutdown guarantees. · Flushing of the conventional feedwater system is in progress. This ensures the system is clean and ready for operation. Morgan Brown, P.Eng., FCNS Research Engineer brownmj@aecl.ca |