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NEI's 2009 Top Industry Practice Awards on Video - Number Three: "The Secret Is Plastic"

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Over the last two weeks NEI has released two videos out of four highlighting the top industry practice awards that were given out at our annual nuclear conference back in May. Here's our third video installment of the series:
“The Secret Is Plastic,” highlights new applications of plastic piping at two nuclear plants that enhance their operation and decrease the cost of maintaining plant water systems.

Duke Energy employees at the Catawba nuclear station in South Carolina and AmerenUE employees at the Callaway nuclear plant in Missouri shared the Materials and Services Process Top Industry Practice Award for the use of high-density polyethylene piping for plant water systems.

Enjoy!

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Pete said…
In the video, they don't really say in what systems this pipe is used. Is it used in safety related systems? One of the displays in the video says something about the service water system. This can be either safety or non-safety related, depending on the nomenclature used at a particular plant.
July 23, 2009 at 3:10 PM
David Bradish said…
Here's a few nuggets from our press release of all the TIP awards back in May:

In 1998, Duke Energy employees at Catawba replaced six-inch, low-pressure water piping that provides cooling water to the generator hydrogen coolers. Following the replacement of more than 90 percent of the carbon steel piping with polyethylene piping, flow in the system greatly improved. Catawba is planning to replace 4,000 feet of buried, 10-inch carbon steel piping in the safety-related water system. The use of polyethylene piping will cost $12 million less than the alternative molybdenum piping, and it offers the long-term benefits of being non-corrosive and not requiring cleaning.

In 2008, AmerenUE employees at Callaway successfully used high density polyethylene piping to replace 1,600 feet of underground piping in the safety related essential water system (EWS). The original carbon steel piping required numerous inspections and costly repairs. Callaway completed the replacement of one-half of the buried EWS piping in just eight days in December 2008. It will replace the other half in 2009.
July 23, 2009 at 3:21 PM
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