Georgia Power said commercial operation of the new Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has been delayed for at least another month. The utility on June 16 said there’s a problem in the hydrogen system used to cool the main electrical generator.
Unit 3, part of a two-reactor expansion at the plant near Waynesboro, Georgia, had been expected to start sending electricity to the power grid this month, but the start date has now been pushed back to July at the earliest.
The generator at issue is not part of the reactor, but is located in another building at the site. That building is where steam from the heat created by fission in the nuclear reactor is sent to spin the turbine that generates electricity. Officials said the problem was caused by a degraded hydrogen seal in the main generator, which was discovered during the start-up and pre-operational testing of the unit. Georgia Power reported the situation in a regulatory filing Friday and said repairs are ongoing.
Unit 3 began sending electricity to the power grid back in April.
Pete
The plant reached the 100% power level in late May, but then this hydrogen issue came up. They reportedly need to replace or repair a seal on the main generator cooling system. Hydrogen is not something they want leaking into the turbine building. This is why they do a start up test program, so they can identify and fix these issues as they occur on a brand new plant.
Next thing we will hear something like the lighting systems are not working properly in the control room, or the HVAC system is not working properly in the Auxiliary Building, or some other such system that will keep Vogtle 3 from being declared a commercial power plant.
I was a startup test engineer for two years. The test program doesn’t end until completion of the warranty run. I don’t know the specifics for Vogtle, but the warranty run is usually around 10 days to 2 weeks of continuous 100% operation. When that is complete, and everyone is happy, then the plant is declared to be in commercial operation, and is released to the grid operator for dispatch.
That is not the point. The point is there are still startup test procedures to perform throughout the power ascension phase, including the 100% plateau level.
As I previously wrote, I don’t know the specifics of the Vogtle program. They may not even have the same kind of warranty run as plants once did. But Vogtle 3 is not currently “way after” the start up test program, as your previous post stated.
Hydrogen? Usually its high pressure steam. But of course we read that hydrogen produced at Fukushima at high temps contributed to the building explosions.
Does this mean Vogtle is designed to collect hydrogen from the reactors? And do what with it? Safely vent it while avoiding explosive compositions (difficult with hydrogen in air). ? Better in an inert atmosphere like carbon dioxide or nitrogen.
No, this is in the non-nuclear section of the power plant. Hydrogen is used as a heat transfer medium in large electrical generators. Not just in nuclear, but also coal and gas-fired power plants. Hydrogen is actually a rather effective heat transfer gas, as it has relatively high thermal conductivity.