April 4, 2023 at 12:32 am
The Major Component Replacement (MCR) defueling project for Bruce Power’s Unit 3 Reactor was completed 18 days ahead of schedule.
Crews at Bruce Power removed 5,748 fuel bundles from the Unit 3 reactor core, 31 days faster than the same procedure on the Unit 6 MCR.
Bruce Power attributes the improved performance efficiency to lessons learned from the recent Unit 6 MCR. Bruce Power crews are now preparing for the installation of bulkheads and the drainage and drying process of the primary heat transfer (PHT) system.
Once these steps are complete, crews will be able to begin construction activities, starting with the dismantling of major components. The Unit 3 MCR is the second refurbishment project in the company’s Life Extension Program, which aims to extend the operational life of Units 3-8 at the Bruce Power site to 2064.
The MCR for Unit 6 began in January 2020 and the unit is expected to return to service on target later this year.
“This extraordinary achievement was made possible largely by the excellent planning and innovation of Unit 3,” said Mike Rencheck, President and CEO of Bruce Power. The ideas and experience of our employees and investing in innovative tools allows us to find efficiencies that build on the successful momentum of our overall life extension program.”