What is refueling outage

In general, the contract workers are highly trained and go from plant site to plant site to assist in refueling outages. They are closely monitored to ensure that they are safe and adhere to all NRC regulations. Thanks to Marc, I think the mystery on how nuclear plants refuel is now solved!

Image 2 is a picture of employees inspecting the new fuel assembly that will be used during refueling at Comanche Peak nuclear plant. Image 3 is a panoramic shot of a reactor core reload from above Comanche Peak nuclear plant. Image 4 is a picture of employees performing maintenance during a refueling outage at Palo Verde nuclear station.

What Happens During a Refueling Outage? By Victoria Barq May 08, Why does a nuclear plant need to replace one-third of its fuel? Nichol: The main purpose of a refueling outage is to replace older fuel that is depleted—meaning it can no longer efficiently produce energy from nuclear fission reactions—with new fuel.

How often does a reactor need to refuel? Nichol: Nuclear plants are usually on an month or month cycle, meaning every 18 or 24 months they must refuel, depending on the particular plant. What is the process for refueling? Nichol: As you might expect, the process for refueling is different for pressurized water reactors PWRs and boiling water reactors BWRs.

Where does the new fuel come from? Nichol: The new fuel is ordered from the fuel vendor before the reactor goes into its outage.

What maintenance is conducted on the nuclear plant during the refueling outage? Nichol: During a refueling outage, plant workers have greater access to many areas of the plant that are sometimes difficult to access during normal operations, such as areas close to the reactor core. Nichol: Although a utility could potentially perform refueling on two reactors at a time, it is generally not done for two reasons.

Nichol: In general, the contract workers are highly trained and go from plant site to plant site to assist in refueling outages.

Anonymous said…. Full core offload may sometimes be done, but I wouldn't say it is 'typical' at PWRs anymore. May 9, at AM. October 15, at AM. Have yet to find a PWR plant were complete offload does not occur. Typically, due to the constraints placed on PWRs through plant design, a full off load is necessary to complete other inspections during the refueling outage. May 13, at AM.

Are you a refueler? I believe someone has misinformed you. Source: It's my job. We can do that. Version Anglaise. Technical Center Stories of Success. Refueling and Outage Services. More on PWR Services. More on BWR Services. Framatome in the world. Twitter Linkedin YouTube. The team replaces a portion of the fuel in the reactor, shuffles current fuel rods and replaces the removed fuel with new fuel.

While the unit is offline, the team completes maintenance work and other projects to improve reliability.

Every detail of a refueling outage is meticulously planned and every ANO worker plays an important role. That includes mandatory mask wearing, social distancing, frequent cleaning and disinfecting of areas, as well as having employees stay home if they feel sick.

Arkansas Nuclear One, owned by Entergy Arkansas, is a dual unit pressurized water reactor located in Russellville. Today, the plant generates enough electricity to power nearly one million households, all carbon-free. The station boasts a team of more than 1, highly trained and dedicated nuclear professionals, committed to their plant and community.