Qinshan Phase I, the First Nuclear Power plant in China, extended the lifetime of its reactor with Alleima Alloy 800 nuclear tubes by 20 years to reach a total 50-year service life.
The background
Qinshan Phase I has used Alleima Alloy 800 tubes since day one. Originally they were intended for a lifetime of 30 years. We are proud that Alleima was one of the first companies in China to supply these tubes and was chosen as the customer’s trusted nuclear supplier.
After 25 years of trouble-free operations, the customer decided to extend the lifetime of its Alleima tubes by an additional 20 years.
The Alleima solution
With almost 60 years of experience in the nuclear industry, we have supplied nuclear tubes to more than 100 nuclear plants worldwide. The tubes are manufactured in Alleima’s own state-of-the-art tube mill in Sweden.
The Alleima grade used, Sanicro® 30, is a low-carbon version of the Alloy 800 austenitic nickel-iron-chromium alloy, which can tolerate temperatures up to 550°C (1,020°F). This boosts resistance to stress corrosion cracking and intergranular corrosion. Making it ideal for steam generator tubing in nuclear stations.
The result
The initial tubes were in such good condition that the customer didn’t need to repair or replace any of them to extend their lifetime. This means these tubes will reach a 50-year service life.
The tubes showed almost no difference from the initial data, signifying no loss in performance. Avoiding maintenance has meant tremendous time and cost savings for our customers.
“We learned that Qinshan Unit 1 nuclear power plant had conducted an overhauling check-in 2019, and during this process, the U-tube bundles from Alleima had no occurrence of plugging,” said Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Equipment Co. (SENPEC).
“In the nuclear industry, there is an immense amount of specifications and requirements to ensure the safety and quality of the products used. This was a highly specified product, so we’re proud to have surpassed both the technical requirements and the customer’s expectations. We’re looking forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with Shanghai Electric,” said Magnus Brodin, Global Marketing and Sales Manager, Alleima.