You are on page 1of 8

A P U B LIC ATI O N O F TH E A M E R IC A N N U C LE A R SOC I E T Y

O b October 2011

Nuclear Power Plant

Maintenance
46-page Special Section begins on page 41

Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Special Section

San Onofres Steam Generator Disposal Project

As seen in the October 2011 issue of Nuclear News


Copyright 2011 by the American Nuclear Society

San Onofres steam generator disposal project


CHARLES VALLANCE, MARK MALZAHN, AND JOHN PATTERSON
BY
N 2009 A N D 2010, Southern California Edison (SCE), an electricity utility serving 14 million residents in southern and central California, undertook the replacement of the four original steam generators in Units 2 and 3 at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS), in San Clemente, Calif. (Unit 1 completed a 25year run in November 1992 and has since been decommissioned.) The steam generators had been part of the plant from the time of the commercial startups of the two units in 1983 and 1984, respectively. The decision to replace the steam generators was based on the forecast of degradation of steam generator tubing and the corresponding tube plugging. The removal and replacement job was large and complicated. What remained to be done after the original steam generators were removed from the Unit 2 and Unit 3 containment buildings was to cut them up and ship them to the EnergySolutions site in Clive, Utah, for disposal. Some of the sections from the segmented steam generators have already been shipped, but some of the cutting work was still ongoing in midSeptember. The first steam generator was disassembled on site in April, and the underwater cutting work on the last of the four steam generators was completed on September 14. External cutting is under way, as of this writing, on the last two steam generators. The first shipment left the San Onofre site during the night of July 31 and arrived at the Clive site on August 18. The lower as-

The removal of the four original steam generators at San Onofre-2 and -3 and the subsequent task of cutting them up for shipment off site required a great deal of work and advance planning.

A temporary tent served as the radiologically controlled area where the segmenting of the steam generators was done. (Photos: Underwater Engineering Services Inc.)

sembly (the part that houses the steam generator tubes) from a Unit 2 steam generator was on the road as of this writing.

Work planning
Each of the original four steam generators measured more than 65 feet long by 22 feet in diameter at its largest point. With the steam generators weighing almost 700 tons each and containing irradiated components, the process of cutting and packaging them for shipment off site represented a challenge. The scope of work required the development of an effective work plan for staging the steam generators on site after they had
N U C L E A R N E W S

Charles Vallance (<cvallance@uesi.com>) is vice president of the nuclear division of UESI/ Underwater Engineering Services Inc. Mark Malzahn is the SONGS project manager. John Patterson (<jwpatterson@earthlink.net>), of PSA Consultants, is a consultant for the project.

been removed from containment, cutting them down to a manageable shipping size, packaging the cutup sections, and transporting the sections off site, all while ensuring the prevention of the spread of radiological contamination and minimizing exposure to workers. Each aspect of the project was unique. To address the challenges, SONGS selected seven separate vendors to make up the segmentation and disposal team, which included a diving contractor, a specialty cutting contractor, a shipper, and a disposal contractor. In addition, a transportation route had to be coordinated with the feder-

October 2011

43

Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Special Section al Department of Transportation (DOT), various state transportation departments, and more than 15 other government agencies and towns in several states.

On-site staging
Following the removal of the steam generators from their respective containment buildingsUnit 2s in fall 2009 and Unit 3s in fall 2010they were staged in the northwest corner of the industrial area of the sites decommissioned Unit 1. Each steam generator was rigged and removed from the containment building and was transported using a 16-axle site transporter provided by Rigging International. During the on-site transport operation, each steam generator was setat its channel head and steam dome endsin support saddles on the transporter. The steam generator was then moved from the containment building and staged for cutting in a steel-framed fabric tent-like structure measuring 100 feet wide by 110 feet long by 54 feet high. The tents interior was outfitted with an at-grade surface protectionCoverguard (Blue Diamond) matting, from Bainbridge International Ltd.and included a berm for the control of potential spills, radioactive contamination, and radiation dose. Because the steam generators were themselves a source of radioactivity, it was necessary to install shield-

An illustration showing the separation of the steam dome from the lower assembly (left), and the lower assembly with the shielded cover installed (right). The shielded cover slipped inside the outer shell of the lower assembly and over the steam tube wrapper plate located inside. (Illustration: UESI)

NQA-1

a subsidiary of American Tank an Tank a & Fabricating Company g p y

800-544-5316 www.atfnuclear.com 800-544-5316 www.atfnuclear.com

44

N U C L E A R

N E W S

October 2011

San Onofres Steam Generator Disposal Project wood softener plate. The shim height was set to allow the site transporter to be raised slightly to position the steam generator so that it could be lowered onto the support pedestal bearing plates. The spill berm, manufactured by Interstate Products Inc., covered almost the entire asphalt floor area of the tent, measuring 102 feet by 88 feet by 14 inches high, and had a maximum capacity of 57 000 gallons with the pedestals and other material inside of it. Specially designed to fit within the tent, the berm was made from XR-5 fabric, which is strong enough to allow vehicular traffic to enter and exit while maintaining its function to contain any spill material. In addition, protective barrier measures to impede the inflow of rainwater and other material were installed around the periphery of the tent. These devices were integrated into the fabric and structure of the tent. Three separate radiation barriers were established outside the tent: a shield wall consisting of large cargo containers called sea vans; lead blankets to provide protection from skyshine (scattered radiation of a primary gamma radiation source generated by aerial dispersion) and the higher dose channel head nozzles; and the rolling shield walls of lead blankets. The measured dose rates in the tent when a Unit 2 steam generator was on the stands varied between 1.5

The steam generators lower assembly that housed the steam tubes. Shielding was installed over the penetrations and along the top of the lower assembly to reduce radiation dose within the tent.

ing on the tents exterior to avoid affecting plant personnel. The steam generators support pedestals provided a strong base for the cutting activities. To prepare for the job, steel base plates were set up, followed by the support

pedestals. Asphalt was then hand-placed around the sharp edges of the steel base plates to prevent damage to the site transporters rubber tires and the spill berms liner material. The top of each pedestal contained a steel plate, a steel shim, and a ply-

October 2011

N U C L E A R

N E W S

45

Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Special Section

San Onofres Steam Generator Disposal Project could possibly be exposed. The sea-van wall also served as the radiation barrier during the time of the steam generator dome removal and the tube bundle cover installation.

Internal cutting
Segmentation of the steam generators was essentially a two-phase process. Before the outer shell could be segmented, it was necessary to cut and remove certain internal structures and components. Because of radiation dose levels and the potential for release of radiological contamination, the decision was made to flood the secondary side of the steam generators with clean water and use divers to make these cuts. The horizontal staging of the steam generators provided an optimal working environment. An access hole for the divers was cut using a petrogen torch at top dead center in the 4-inch-thick outer shell to allow safe entry and egress. The access also had to accommodate the segmented components as they were lifted out of the steam generator. About 76 000 gallons of water were required to fill each steam generator, which added 630 000 pounds to the weight of each one and required special design considerations for the supporting saddles. To allow the divers to work safely, detailed plans were developed for cutting, rigging, and moving the segmented compo-

The red-ringed clamshell cutter is attached to the steam generator.

millirem and 0.15 millirem at ground level. This was with the lead blankets on the higher-dose channel head nozzles. The shield wall made of the sea vans was constructed with standard 20-foot cargo

containers, the exterior sides of which were plated with half-inch-thick steel plates. The sea vans were then stacked so that they blocked the dose from reaching the sites west boundary, where the general public

NQA-1 and ISO 9001/2000


10 CFR 50 APPENDIX B

ASME SECTION III & VIII


Nuclear Subassemblies Reactor Components Radwaste Containers Pressure Vessels Material Certi cations Heat Exchangers

800-338-8265 www.westermancompanies.com
Dedicated to
Westerman Nuclear LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Westerman Companies

QUALITY PRODUCTS and SERVICE since 1909


N U C L E A R N E W S

46

October 2011

Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Special Section A sound cutting plan was also essential to the success of the segmentation. Any incomplete cuts would keep the larger parts from being separated during the external segmentation, and inaccuracies in cutting tolerances could also prevent separation, thereby preventing the installation of the steam tube bundle cap required to seal the tubes prior to transport. The primary underwater cutting tool used was a plasma arc torch, which uses a plasma that is hot enough (around 45 000 F) to melt the metal being cut. The plasma moves at a velocity sufficient to blow molten metal away from the cut. The process is accurate, efficient, and relatively clean. As cutting commenced, divers assessed the clearance at the feedwater ring that blocked the path to the steam tube shroud. This area was very confining and extremely congested because of the tubing and piping, requiring careful maneuvering by the diver and vigilance by his topside tenders to avoid entanglement. The first circumferential shroud cut was made 1 foot up the baffle cone from the area where the steam tube shroud transitions from a cylindrical shape to a cone shape. This cut was necessary to allow at least 5 inches of clearance on all sides of the cylindrical section of the lower assembly when the steam dome was separated. Once a high-heat-resistant rubber mat was placed between the tube bundle and the baffle plate, divers began the cuts at the 3 oclock position and worked down past the 6 oclock position on both sides of the baffle plate. They stopped the cut at approximately the 5 and 7 oclock positions to ensure that there was no breach of any tube bundles. A second circumferential cut was made at the transition of the cylindrical section to

The steam dome after the lower assembly that housed the steam tubes was removed.

nents in a confined space, preventing radiological contamination, and managing radiation exposure. Of particular concern was the potential to breach the steam tubes during the cutting process. The tube bundles contained contaminated radioactive water that if released would have posed the risk of contamination and unwanted radiation exposure to the divers and the support workers topside and would have prevented the completion of the remainder of the cutting and disposal work. To ensure that this could be avoided, Underwater Engineering Services Inc. (UESI) and SONGS engineers performed a mock-up before the actual procedure to practice the most difficult part of the cutting operation. Divers worked in special suits and helmets that fully encapsulated them to prevent skin contamination. Air for breathing and the connection for hard-wired radio communication were supplied by an umbilical hose to the surface. Closed-circuit underwater cameras were mounted on the divers helmets so that every aspect of their underwater work could be closely monitored by surface support personnel. UESI also provided a manual diver extraction system that was integrated with the dive platform. The system met all regulatory requirements and was the primary retrieval tool in case of a diver emergency. The water acted as a shield to reduce exposure to a fraction of the dose that would have been present in air. Working in water also allowed for easier mobility of the divers within the complex geometry of the steam generator internals. Components to be segmented during the wet-cutting operation included steel beams supporting the tube bundles, the half-inch carbon steel

wrapper plate (or shroud) surrounding the tube bundles, and various other components blocking diver access to interior work areas. The divers plan identified the cutting tools to be used and mapped out the exact size and weight of each segment that would result from the cuts. This was essential to diver safety, because any shifting of heavy segmented components within the confined space could pose danger. In some areas, structural bracing was welded in place by diver welders prior to cutting to eliminate the risk of a components shifting. All welds met the requirements of AWS 3.6M, ASME Section IX, and ASME Section XI.

The lower assembly after the steam dome was severed and removed. The top of the tube bundle and portions of the remaining steam tube support beams are visible.
N U C L E A R N E W S

48

October 2011

San Onofres Steam Generator Disposal Project above background dose rates. Even though the shell is over 4.5 inches thick, the dose is about 4 millirem at 6 feet in some locations. Other radiation dose minimization measures, such as the use of stationary and moveable lead blanket shadow shields and remote camera monitoring of the cutting, the removal of the steam dome, and the installation of the tube bundle cover, were employed. Separating the lower assembly from the steam dome required a 17238-inch cut through 478 inches of SA533 carbon steel. Welding Services Inc. used a split-frame outer-diameter cutting machine that incorporates a clamshell-style cuttera Hydratight MM180said to be the worlds largest gear-driven split-frame lathe. The clamshell cutter was operated remotely and monitored using the SONGS Health Physics Departments CARE camera system. Remote monitoring continued up to the point at which the cutter was about to complete the severance, which was then monitored from a shielded observation area. The lower assembly and the steam dome were securely supported on multiple stands to minimize movement and the potential for binding as the final cut was made. The external cutting for each steam generator took about two days, with total personnel dose for each of about 45 millirem.

Divers entered a steam generator through an access hole cut in the top of the steam dome.

the conical section, with the diver directing the torch as close to parallel to the cylindrical section as possible to reduce the potential for a tube breach. The divers made a portion of the circumferential cuts and then sectioned these cuts to create pieces that could be handled and lowered to the bottom of the steam dome. When cutting the tube bundle supports, divers first made longitudinal cuts along the web of the 24-inch beam to remove material and reduce weight to below 160 pounds per segmented piece, to ensure that they would be small enough for a diver to handle comfortably. During underwater cutting operations, SONGS personnel and other contractors provided support that was essential to the safety of the divers and the efficiency of the work. Radiological control personnel closely monitored diver exposure and the processes required to prevent contamination. Expert riggers and operators worked closely with the dive team to rig and remove segmented pieces from the steam generator, one of the riskiest tasks that had to be performed. Diving work, which was done five days a week, was carried out April 1227, 2011, for the first steam generator (a total of 12 days of diving); May 417 for the second steam generator (10 days of diving); and August 15September 5 for the third steam generator (9 days of diving). Diving work in the fourth steam generator was completed in the first half of September and took 10 days of diving.

nal cuts could be made to sever the steam dome from the lower assembly that housed the steam tubes. During external cutting operations, the steam generators thick outer shell provided shielding to minimize radiation exposure, as the general area dose rates were elevated

Rigging and handling


Once the steam dome and lower assembly were separated, the clamshell cutter was

External cutting
With the divers work completed, the steam generator was drained so that exter-

The diver supervisor watches the divers on a video screen in order to direct their work by radio communication. The supervisor also controled power to the plasma torch and engaged it only when the diver was set to cut, and he monitored the divers air supply and coordinated with topside support personnelsuch as the dive tenders (who held the divers umbilical hose), the crane operator, and the riggersas the work progressed.
N U C L E A R N E W S

October 2011

49

Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Special Section

San Onofres Steam Generator Disposal Project Utah DOT, the Utah Highway Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff, the Riverside County Sheriff, the San Bernardino Sheriff, and numerous towns and municipalities along the route. Each steam generator has already or will travel 832 miles at an average speed of less than 30 miles per hour. The highest elevation along the transport route is 7000 feet, and the lowest is 35 feet above sea level. After SONGS had approved the transport route, Perkins provided all information required for the preparation of the Transport Emergency Response Plan (TERP) in accordance with 49 CFR Parts 107 and 173. The TERP contains contingency plans for emergent situations that could arise during the transport and describes the specific transport route between SONGS and the Clive site, including detailed procedures for all handling and tiedown activities, as well as any major procedures to be performed in preparation for and during the transport. Meanwhile, SCE personnel undertook communications outreach efforts with community officials, utility regulatory agencies, and media outlets along the route to ensure adequate public communication to support this transportation project. At the time of this writing, the project has been a resounding success, according to project manager Mark Malzahn. Even with the usual project delays, work has progressed much faster than expected. The project is on schedule and Malzahn said that it is anticipated that the project will enjoy a saving in radiation exposure. The original aslow-as-reasonably-achievable plan estimated a total project dose of 21 person-rem; total expected project dose is now projected to be less than 8 person-rem.

A retired steam generator aboard a 24-axle trailer system makes its way to Utah for disposal. (Photo: John Patterson)

removed and the work area was demobilized from cutting operations and prepared for rigging and handling operations. Air samples of the interior environment were taken continuously throughout the shell-cutting process to verify that the air remained below detectable radiological activity. When rigging and handling preparations were complete, a site transporter was moved into the tent and positioned under the steam dome, and the tube bundle cover was staged on a second site transporter in preparation for installing the steam tube shield cap. The steam dome was then secured and removed from the tent, allowing the second transporter to position the shield cap, a procedure that was monitored through the use of the CARE camera system. The tube bundle cover was properly fitted up to the lower assembly and was tack-welded into place, a task requiring temporary shielding to lower the dose rate to the welders. Weld-out of the cap was performed by an automated machine welding system similar to the clamshell cutter tooling. The success of the welding process was confirmed by the use of a magnetic particle nondestructive examination, and the components were moved to a transfer location for off-site shipment.

the transporter for shipping the lower assemblies from SONGS to the disposal site. The transporter measures 399 feet long by 20 feet wide by almost 17 feet high, and has 192 wheels to support the load. The transporter had to meet all state and DOT requirements and have all approved permits in place prior to the delivery of the lower assemblies to the transfer point, from which delivery of the lower assemblies to Clive was made. Perkins completed a route analysis that required coordination with the DOT, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the California DOT, the California Highway Patrol, the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Coastal Commission, the Nevada DOT, the Nevada Highway Patrol, the

On the road to Utah


After the installation of all of the lower assembly covers and plugs and the application of transport coatings, SONGS personnel performed a verification of acceptability prior to shipment of the components to the EnergySolutions disposal site. A quarter-inch carbon steel plate was welded over each of the hollow sections of the center of the steam generator stand. In addition, SONGS health physicists surveyed and conditionally released each component for transportation before its release to the disposal facility. Perkins Specialized Transportation Contracting Services custom-designed and built

A map of the route taken by the steam generator shipments to the disposal site in Utah.
N U C L E A R N E W S

50

October 2011

You might also like