MHI Delivers Two RSG For Electrabel GDF SUEZ's Doel-1 NPP In Belgium

Published: 25-Aug-2009

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has delivered two replacement steam generators (RSG), a core component of pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants (NPP), for the Doel-1 NPP in Belgium operated by Electrabel GDF SUEZ. MHI received the order for the RSGs in February 2006 in line with the nuclear power plant's component renewal initiative. With the latest deliveries, MHI RSGs now account for over half of all SGs operated in Belgium-10 of 19 at seven NPPs.

Doel-1, a 392.5 MW PWR NPP, which is scheduled to be uprated, locates near the port city of Antwerp, about 50 kilometers north of Brussels. The facility began commercial operation in 1975 and, after more than 30 years in service, has been in need of renewal.

The RSGs, manufactured at MHI's Kobe Shipyard and Machinery Works, measure 20 meters in height and weigh roughly 270 tons. SGs play a crucial role in PWRs by transferring the thermal energy generated in the reactor vessel to a secondary coolant and feeding the resulting steam to a turbine system to generate electricity. Their pressure-resistant container, made of low-alloy steel, houses approximately 4,800 heat transfer tubes made of a thermally treated alloy: Alloy 690, an advanced material. SGs require especially sophisticated capabilities in both design and manufacturing as well as outstanding safety and reliability, and in Japan MHI, which has long focused on PWR NPPs, is the only company that manufactures SGs.

To date MHI has delivered three RSGs each to the Electrabel GDF SUEZ Tihange-1 and Tihange-2 NPPs, respectively in 1995 and 2001, and two RSGs to the Doel-2 NPP in 2004. In total the company has processed overseas orders for 28 RSG units, mainly from North America and Europe. The total rises to 122 units when SGs and RSGs for the domestic market are included. By providing RSGs and other replacement components, MHI has helped extend the operational life and boost the safety and economic efficiency of existing PWR NPPs both in Japan and abroad.

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