Screen Rebuilt in Nine Days For A Nuclear Power Plant

When a major nuclear power generation facility in the southeast experienced a raw water intake screen failure, they turned to Atlas-SSI to help diagnose and resolve the problem. The screen had stopped rotating and could not be moved more than a few inches in either a forward or reverse direction. To complicate the situation, the repair team was under immense pressure to fix the water intake screen within the few days that remained in a scheduled maintenance outage at the facility.

As a first step, the team tried to virtually troubleshoot the problem, but this did not result in returning the water intake screen to normal operation. A submersible inspection camera was commissioned to inspect the screen below the waterline and revealed that there was wear and tear to key components. Based on the video inspection, an emergency parts order was placed for a foot shaft assembly, boot plate, track/filler bars and extension angles, which Atlas-SSI was able to deliver to the site in just three days. However, once the screen was removed from the water it was quickly discovered that it had more damage than the video inspection revealed, and the repairs could not be completed on-site, in a timely manner.

After examining several options, Atlas-SSI proposed a factory rebuild, but they only had ten days to complete the repair which included shipping the screen to and from the nuclear power plant. The nuclear power facility placed its trust in Atlas-SSI and under an emergency repair protocol, the specialized team at the Atlas-SSI manufacturing facility sprang into action. In addition to replacing the parts which were sent to the site, the team also manufactured and installed new guide chains and new carrier chains. Due to the expertise and manufacturing capabilities at the facility, the repairs were completed in just two days and the screen was returned to the site in just nine days total, leaving plenty of time to return it back to service prior to the end of the planned maintenance outage.

Atlas-SSI has extensive experience in rebuilding traveling water screens – in fact, we pioneered the concept over 50 years ago. Customers often select a rebuild option because it is cost-effective and Atlas-SSI manufactures exact-replacement parts for any make or model of traveling water screen. Atlas-SSI also offers the largest factory-certified team of divers specialized in water intake systems that conduct below the water line inspections to help power generators proactively plan for repair needs during planned maintenance outages.