Dukovany nuclear power plant, Czech Republic

A unique project of instrumentation and control system replacement under our belt

In 2002-2018, ŠKODA JS carried out a complete modernization of the instrumentation and control systems at all units at Dukovany NPP. The replacement was executed during scheduled refueling outages and the installation method and the strategy of testing and commissioning of the new system were quite unique. No one else anywhere in the world has used a similar method of nuclear power plant I&C system replacement on such a complex scale to this day.

Also unique was the repair of a heterogeneous weld joint on the hot leg of the main coolant piping. We acted as a complex supplier of activities pertaining to the preparation, testing, calculations and removal of a faulty weld joint, the execution of a new weld as well as the final NDT inspections. Other repairs, similar in scope, were performed also in the following years.

According to the established plan, the repair of heterogeneous weld joints of the feedwater distribution system, which is very complicated due to the spatial layout and radiation load, was carried out. In 2022, we have begun repairing the main circulating pump distribution wheels using a robotic workstation. In 2021, a unique project in cooperation with Framatome to clean the secondary side of one steam generator was carried out. We will continue this unique project on the other steam generators.

Replacement of the CRDM penetration sleeve on the reactor head of the first Dukovany unit can be example of another demanding project. As a strong partner, we have started to provide our own inspections on the RRCS systém on the CRDM drives, which until now used to be provided exclusively by subcontractors. ŠKODA JS is also carrying out a number of other equally important technical and investment projects on a smaller and larger scale.

Reconstruction of the Ancillary Switchboards at the Dukovany NPP

In 2017, we started an extensive and complex modernization project at the Dukovany NPP aimed at increasing operational reliability and safety while reducing operating costs.

The implementation of the project is divided into 22 separate units and comprises the production and installation of a large number of switchboard arrays, all design and implementation activities – dismantling the existing equipment, supply and assembly of new switchboards, their tests and commissioning in the form of a “turnkey” delivery. We are concurrently carrying out all the necessary modifications of said equipment, structures and systems. The basic prerequisite for the successful execution of the project is strict observance of the schedule.

Our current project: Dukovany is working with our new system

In January 2021, a tender procedure lasting almost a year and a half to ensure the long-term operability of the PAMS system was completed with the signing of a contract worth more than one hundred million CZK. It is a so-called “post-accident” monitoring system, a high-quality and highly reliable display system designed to process and display the technological parameters of the power plant important for the safety of the power plant, which are needed by the operators to deal with possible very unlikely emergency or abnormal events during the operation of the power plant. The newly delivered PAMS system will be operated on the SandRA Z100 platform from the Czech manufacturer ZAT. The project will be completed in 2024.

“I would like to thank the entire team behind the successful implementation of individual sub-units. A good foundation was created and the project gained the right “drive”. This is a good pre-requisite for it to be completed in time and costs to the satisfaction of the customer”, Martin Müller, director of the Engineering and I&C division, evaluates the progress so far.

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