The first of 12 low-pressure feedwater heater replacements at the Palo Verde Generating Station in Arizona has been completed "on an expedited schedule," contracted project leader Framatome announced.
The new 50-ton feedwater heater replacement involved removing and reinstalling 24 sections of pipe and a total of 370 field welds. "The project team demonstrated its technical expertise to supply and install" the component, Farmatome said.
The remaining replacements will take place over a seven-year agenda. For this Unit 1 replacement, the Framatome team leveraged 3-D modeling for the component and piping design, as well as precision measurements.
The Palo Verde plant is comprised of three pressuirzed water reactors each with a gross capacity to produce 1,400 megawatts of electricity. The plant produces about 70 percent of Arizona's carbon-emissions-free electricity. Overall, the plant meets more than a quarter of the state's demand for electricity, supplying power to 4 million people across four different states.