Framatome completes major refurbishment of 31 reactor coolant pump motors

Framatome recently completed the refurbishment of 31 reactor coolant pump motors for three southeastern nuclear energy facilities. From 2002 to May 2018, the company modified and upgraded these components, which resulted in a 100 percent reliability and zero-failure performance record since being re-installed.

The motors in reactor coolant pumps help move coolant around the primary circuit of a nuclear reactor core. This keeps the reactor from overheating while ensuring the safe heat transfer from a reactor core to steam generators.

“The success of this refurbishment campaign is a tribute to Framatome’s dedicated and experienced employees,” said Craig Ranson, senior vice president of the Installed Base Business Unit at Framatome in North America. “Their unmatched expertise, bolstered by access to world-class facilities, allows us to provide our customers with solutions that, in many cases, are more innovative and cost effective than their plant’s original equipment manufacturer.”

Members of Framatome’s Installed Base services team worked with the plants’ personnel to remove each motor. They then brought the motors to the company’s 70,000-square-foot Pump and Motor Service Center in Lynchburg, Virginia. While at the center, experts inspected the components, completed necessary repairs and replacements, and tested each motor. Such refurbishments allow these components, and thus their nuclear facilities, to operate safely and reliably for longer durations.

Following successful testing, pump and motor specialists re-installed the motors and assessed their performance on-site.

Framatome, previously known as New NP (former subsidiary of AREVA NP), is a major international player in the nuclear energy market focused on designing, building, maintaining and advancing the global nuclear fleet. In North America, Framatome Inc. combines U.S. and Canadian leadership to deliver innovative solutions and value-added technologies to support the operation of the commercial nuclear fleet and prepare for the next generation of nuclear power plants. Leveraging the expertise of its 2,300 North American employees, Framatome Inc. is helping its customers improve the safety and performance of their nuclear plants and achieve their economic and societal goals.

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Framatome is owned by the EDF Group (75.5%), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI – 19.5%) and Assystem (5%).