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Spring 2010 |
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| Cover | View Images of the China projects here. |
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| Curtiss-Wright Flow Control - EMD and Westinghouse Continue Successful Testing of World's Largest Canned-Motor RCP | ||
- Ongoing Testing will Ensure Safe and Reliable Operation in AP1000™ Curtiss-Wright Flow Control - EMD and Westinghouse Electric Company LLC announced that they are continuing the successful testing of the world's largest canned-motor reactor coolant pump (RCP) at Curtiss-Wright Flow Control EMD's facility in Cheswick, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa., the birthplace and currently a major hub of the commercial nuclear power industry. During testing on Thursday, May 13, the AP1000™ pressurized water reactor RCP successfully completed testing in ambient operating conditions. On Saturday, May 15, testing was successfully performed at normal operating temperatures and pressures. All test objectives for both tests were met. The tests were completed ahead of schedule, and witnessed by representatives of China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation and owners of the four AP1000™ PWR units currently being constructed in China. These tests are important steps in the final qualification process of the AP1000™ RCP. Curtiss-Wright EMD and Westinghouse will complete final qualification testing of the RCP over the next 12 months. This will ensure safe and reliable RCP operation in the world's first-ever built Westinghouse AP1000™ nuclear power plants under construction in China, and for future AP1000™ plants that will be built in the U.S. The AP1000™ PWR is the only Generation III+ passive safety systems reactor certified by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. AP1000™ Pressurized Water Reactor Coolant Pump Manufactured by Curtiss-Wright Flow Control - EMD for Westinghouse Electric Company, the AP1000™ RCPs are high-inertia pumps that are highly reliable, low-maintenance, hermetically sealed canned-motor pumps, which circulate the reactor coolant through the reactor core, loop piping, and steam generators. Curtiss-Wright EMD, a business unit of the Curtiss-Wright Flow Control Company, is the world's premier designer/builder of reactor coolant pumps, having produced more than 350 pumps for the existing commercial nuclear reactor fleet and over 1200 for the U.S. Navy. In the past 40 years, EMD has successfully developed eight canned RCPs for specific unique applications. These pumps are highly reliable, with many running problem free for 30 years. Sixteen RCPs for China's first Generation III+ reactors will be built in the Western Pennsylvania plant, demonstrating how nuclear plant exports are driving high quality manufacturing in the U.S. The Curtiss-Wright EMD factory is one of over a dozen U.S.-based factories that will be directly involved in exporting products to the AP1000™ projects in China. Excellent cooperation is ongoing with U.S. and China in the testing and manufacturing of additional reactor components for the China nuclear program. |
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| Westinghouse and PGE Agree to Partner on Delivering Nuclear Energy Solutions for Poland | ||
Westinghouse Electric Company LLC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in April with leading Polish energy provider Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) to collaborate on delivering the AP1000TM nuclear power plant in response to Poland’s initiatives for nuclear capacity.
Bob Pearce, Director, International Project Development, says that the agreement with PGE is an important step in offering Poland a genuine solution to the country’s most challenging energy issues. “We welcome the opportunity to partner with PGE in supporting Poland’s nuclear energy program, and look forward to collaborating on meeting their economic and energy priorities. With Poland’s need to reduce its carbon footprint by 2020, nuclear energy and the AP1000 PWR are the right solutions for providing reliable baseload electricity that is sensitive to the needs of the environment.” Pearce adds that Westinghouse is committed to building long-term partnerships in Poland. “The AP1000 PWR provides a greater opportunity for localization of supply for these projects, resulting in jobs and long-term economic benefits for the people of Poland. We welcome the opportunity to develop a clean, reliable, and secure energy source utilizing the significant skills of the Polish people.” Under the agreement, Westinghouse and PGE will jointly study the feasibility of building new nuclear reactors in Poland based on the AP1000TM, the world’s most advanced and mature Generation III+ design, which includes innovative features such as modular construction, advanced passive safety systems, and a solid portfolio of construction projects that are currently on time and within budget. |
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| Westinghouse is formally qualified for the tender process for new nuclear reactors at Temelín CEZ made official notification that Westinghouse is to proceed in the tender process |
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Recently, Westinghouse took a significant step in moving forward with its plan to participate in the completion of the Temelín nuclear power plant, located in the Czech Republic. CEZ, the Czech utility who owns and operates Temelín, notified Westinghouse that it successfully complied with qualification requirements stipulated in the Qualification Documentation for the public contract “Completion of the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant.”
Westinghouse received the confirmation from CEZ after submitting its response to the Qualification Document, issued by CEZ, in October 2009. In that submission, Westinghouse outlined its intent to participate in the tender process, its ability to successfully support the construction of new nuclear power plants, and the benefits that the AP1000™ nuclear power plant can provide in meeting the requirements of the Czech regulators and CEZ. Additionally, the AP1000 is well positioned towards providing a greater level of safety, energy security, and economic responsibility for the people of Czech Republic. Kerry Hanahan, director of Project Development in the Czech Republic, says that Westinghouse welcomes the chance to build on its existing relationships as this project progresses. “With a nearly 20-year history at Temelín, Westinghouse welcomes the opportunity to continue providing real solutions for the sustainability of the Czech nuclear program. We believe that the AP1000 represents the natural basis of safe, secure, reliable, and economically beneficial energy production in the Czech Republic, now and into the future.” In addition, Westinghouse successfully submitted Pre-Bid Data documentation to CEZ in April, in response to CEZ’s large Special Documentation package, which Westinghouse received in March. In the submission, Westinghouse responded to more than 10 volumes of special documentation that specify needs and requirements of the proposed nuclear power plant project at Temelin. This submission is a part of the Pre-Bid Phase in the formal tender process. The AP1000 design is certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the only Generation III+ reactor to receive such certification. The European Utility Requirements (EUR) organization certified that the AP1000 is compliant with European Utility Requirements, confirming that the AP1000 can be successfully deployed in Europe. Final selection of a vendor for the project will be announced by the end of 2011. CEZ plans to construct two units at Temelín, with the option of providing an additional three units, which will be located at Bohunice and Dukovany. Construction will begin in 2013, with a COD date of 2019 for the first unit. |
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| Making each new AP1000™ easier and more efficient to construct | ||
The Organizational Learning Program at Westinghouse is aiming to make each new AP1000 easier and more efficient to construct by cataloging and communicating the Lessons Learned from each AP1000 project to the next, helping to ensure on-time and on-budget delivery of the global fleet.
Amy Kachinko, a principal engineer in the Organizational Learning Program who has been working with AP1000 lessons learned for the past year, says that the program is meant to allow the sharing of information between all constituents of a project. “The Organizational Learning Program, as applied to AP1000 projects, is really about developing and sharing information in order to share lessons-learned with each other. It’s about satisfying the customer by providing the necessary tools to educate the workforce on making the AP1000 easier to construct each time.” The Organizational Learning Program is modeled after similar programs that started in the nuclear industry to document operating experiences. The operating experiences were cataloged and shared throughout the industry so that all could learn best practices and improve processes. The program identifies, catalogs and facilitates communication of lessons learned from across Westinghouse, including each AP1000 project. The Organizational Learning Program applies to all parts of the organization. Lessons Learned can be created from either positive or negative experiences. Positive experiences include lessons that are preventative in nature, such as accident prevention, process improvement and cost avoidance. Negative experiences include lessons after an event has occurred and are reactionary in nature. Examples of lessons learned that have already been identified and catalogued include specific project issues, like improving ways of transporting modules, for instance, that better meet customer requirements and needs. As Westinghouse continues to construct new plants globally, the lessons that are learned today will ultimately help to reduce overall construction time and improve quality and safety.
Transportation of AP1000 modules, like the containment vessel bottom head for Sanmen Unit 1, is just one area that the Organizational Learning Program seeks continuous process improvements. |
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| Westinghouse AP1000™ Construction Update | ||
Sanmen, China Sanmen Layer 4 concrete placement was complete on April 24, 2010. Haiyang, China The Containment Vessel Bottom Head (CVBH) for Haiyang Unit 1 was successfully transported from the site assembly area to the Nuclear Island (NI) area on April 8, 2010. The CVBH was successfully lifted and positioned on the NI location on April 9, 2010, by a Demag C8800 heavy crane with a total lift weight of 862 tons. This completes a major milestone for the Haiyang project. VC Summer, South Carolina, United States
Vogtle, Georgia, United States
View images of China and U.S. projects here View Southern Nuclear’s new Web page detailing its plans for nuclear energy here |
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©2010 Westinghouse Electric Company LLC
All Rights Reserved
The collaboration creates the path for advanced Generation III+ Westinghouse AP1000™ technology to provide safe, secure, and economically responsible nuclear energy for Poland. 
The Westinghouse Organizational Learning Program is designed to share and identify lessons learned and best practices that broaden the knowledge base. This can be either experiences that promote the recurrence of desirable outcomes, or those that preclude the recurrence of undesirable outcomes. The Organizational Learning Program facilitates knowledge sharing to document and communicate lessons learned for all projects.