Design and Operating Experience Problems with Control and Instrumtation Systems Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station - Unit 1

Abstract

The Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is a 690 MWe General Electric designed Boiling Water Reactor. Pilgrim is located forty (40) miles south of Boston at Plymouth, Mssachusetts. It is situated on the Atlantic Seaboard (Cape Cod Bay) and uses circulating sea water for condensate cooling in the condenser. Pilgrim was granted a construction permit in August, 1968, achieved initial criticality in June, 1972 and began commercial operation in December, 1972. Bechtel Corporation was the prime contractor. For the first six (6) months of commercial operation, Pilgrim achieved a percent availability of 91.7 percent. I am pleased to report that generally speaking, the instrumentation and control system problems which developed during construction, startup and operation were of a routine nature. No outstanding problems arose requiring indepth re-evaluation and drastic design changes. The instrumentation and control systems have performed as expected. No false scrams have occurred which could be attributed to design deficiencies. Station Technical Specifications require that extensive routine testing on operating equipment be continuously performed to verify operability and locate and eliminate problems that could negate the required operability of said instrumentation when required. This paper discusses some of these Instrumnntation and Control System problems encountered and the solutions to these problems. This paper describes four (4) problems covering design and operating experience with the control and instrumentation systems for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station Unit 1.