It is an important achievement for the Argentine nuclear industry that Nucleoeléctrica Argentina has completed the tasks of cutting and removing the detached separator inside the reactor of the Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant.
The intervention that started on June 18th last year was carried out by a multidisciplinary team of the company together with local suppliers, using engineering tools and procedures specifically designed for this complex operation.
The mechanical malfunction was detected during routine inspections carried out in October 2022, when it was observed that one of the rector’s four internal separators had become detached and displaced from its design location. Although it posed risk to neither human safety nor environment, it was determined that direct intervention was required for its repair.
After a thorough diagnosis, it was decided to carry out the removal of the separator using state-of-art engineering methods and robotic and technological tools specifically developed for this purpose. Due to the fact that the separator was located at a depth of 14 metres inside the reactor, tools were designed to adapt to these conditions. The manufacture of these tools involved the participation of multiple sectors of the company and collaboration with national suppliers
So as to guarantee the effectiveness of the procedures and ensure the safety of the operation, a full-scale model (mockup) of the reactor sector where the intervention would be carried out was manufactured This made it possible to practise the cutting and removal maneuvers , as well as to test the tools and methods developed and ensuring in this way that everything was ready for the real operation.
During the entire repair process. Atucha II was kept in shutdown to guarantee the safety of the personnel, population and environment. With the successful completion of this challenging stage, the next repair stage will focus on the implementation of improvements in the plant design to reinforce the attachment of the remaining separators before the plant can return to safe operation.
The success of this intervention highlights the capacity and commitment of Nucleoélectria Argentina to face and solve challenges in the nuclear field. And also contributes to the development of national industry through the collaboration with local suppliers in the design and manufacture of specialized tools.
Having achieved such an important milestone, Argentina reaffirms its position in the nuclear energy filed as it has demonstrated its capacity to carry out complex operations with high safety and efficiency standards. The successful completion of the repair at the Atucha II Nuclear Power Plant means a step forward in the safe and reliable continuation of nuclear power generation in the country.
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