Canada’s Bruce Power has achieved a milestone in its Major Component Replacement (MCR) project by completing the unit 3 reactor removal series safely and ahead of schedule. The removal series was completed faster than in the unit 6 MCR by leveraging the experience and innovation through lessons learned and technological advancement. The calandria tube removal set a Candu refurbishment record, finishing 11 days ahead of schedule.
The MCR project began in January 2020. The eight pressurised heavy-water Candu reactor units at the Bruce site in Ontario (Bruce A – units 1-4, and Bruce B – units 4-8) began commercial operation between 1977 and 1987. Bruce Power’s CAD13bn ($10bn) Life Extension Programme, which includes Asset Management and MCR, began in 2016. MCR, which began with unit 6 and also includes units 3-8, will extend the life of the site until 2064. Units 1&2 have already been refurbished and were returned to service in 2012. Work began on unit 3 in March 2023. Unit 6 was taken offline for the refurbishment in January 2020 and was returned to service in 2023.
“We have seen outstanding performance in completing the unit 3 MCR removal series, meeting or exceeding our targets for safety, quality and schedule,” said Laurent Seigle, Executive Vice-President, Projects. “Each successive MCR outage brings an opportunity for performance improvement, and we’re committed to returning these units to service safely and successfully to meet Ontario’s clean energy needs well into the future.”
The MCR project team, alongside vendor partners Shoreline Power Group (SPG) (a joint venture between Aecon, AtkinsRéalis and United Engineers & Constructors) and ATS Industrial Automation, spent about nine months removing feeder tubes, pressure tubes, calandria tubes and other important internal components of the unit 3 reactor in preparation for the installation of new parts that will extend the life of the unit for 40 years. Innovations since the unit 6 MCR outage helped lead to improved performance.
“Our Tooling Performance Team of highly trained tooling experts and our skilled trades operators are the best at what they do,” said Rob Hoare, Vice-President, MCR Execution. “Many were involved in the tooling development, manufacturing, commissioning during our first run in the unit 6 MCR. They know how these tools perform and how to make them better and it showed in the complex troubleshooting and results they delivered.”
With the reactor removal series complete, millwrights, boilermakers, and electricians from Shoreline Power Group will transition to commissioning, operating, and maintaining first-of-a-kind, six-axis robotic tooling for reactor inspection and installation work. This includes the replacement of 960 feeder tubes, 480 fuel channels, and 480 calandria tubes. This work will directly and indirectly create and sustain about 1,500 jobs over the next 15 years throughout Ontario.
“Building on the success of the ATS automated tooling used in the removal series, the upcoming inspection series will mark the first time an industrial robot will be used on a Candu reactor refurbishment anywhere in the world,” said Miroslav Kafedzhiev, President of ATS Industrial Automation. “Together with Bruce Power, and in collaboration with skilled and trained tradespeople, we have spent the better part of three years to set a new standard for safety and performance in reactor reconstruction.”
ATS Industrial Automation has played a primary role in designing, testing, and manufacturing the majority of the highly automated tooling systems. The new automated inspection toolset will help tradespeople clean and inspect thousands of components on both faces of the reactor.
“This achievement by Bruce Power is yet another example of how Ontario is uniquely positioned to deliver on-time and on-budget nuclear refurbishment at Canada’s largest clean energy infrastructure project,” said Stephen Lecce, Ontario Minister of Energy & Electrification. “As we plan to generate more clean energy, we celebrate Ontario’s highly skilled workers, advanced technology, and the robust nuclear eco-system that is generating clean, reliable and affordable energy for Ontario families.”
Bruce Power is now in the final stages of preparation for the unit 4 MCR outage, scheduled to begin in 2025, with units 5, 7 and 8 slated for refurbishment over the next 10 years. “To execute a project of this scale and complexity, it takes an ecosystem of nuclear professionals to work together toward a common goal,” Laurent Seigle noted. “I’m proud of our entire team and I look forward to continuing to safely deliver these MCR projects.”
