Exelon Upgrades Illinois Nuclear Plants to Improve Stability

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Driven by demand for cheap power, nuclear plant owners are seeking ways to keep existing reactors operating as long as they can. Extending the lives of reactors is particularly important for Exelon Nuclear (Warrenville, Illinois), a business unit of Exelon Corporation (NYSE:EXC) (Chicago, Illinois), which has plans to upgrade reactors at the Dresden Nuclear Power Station (Morris, Illinois) by replacing the steam dryer on Unit #2 in the last quarter of 2007.

The two-unit, 1,656-megawatt (MW) Dresden facility is located on a 953-acre site along the Illinois River, consisting of two 828 MW General Electric boiling-water-reactors (BWRs) and two General Electric tandem-compound turbine/generator sets. The two units became operational in 1970 and 1971, respectively.

The steam dryer is located on top of the reactor vessel. It is the final stage of the steam separation system that removes excess moisture from the steam before it leaves the reactor and goes to the turbine that generates electricity.

Unit #2’s steam dryer was replaced this fall along during refueling activities with General Electric Company (San Jose, California) serving as the design-build for the entire project.

Exelon will also be replacing the digital electric hydraulic controls (DEHC) on the two Westinghouse pressurized-water-reactors (PWRs) at the two-unit, 2,350 MW Braidwood Nuclear Power Station (Braidwood, Illinois), starting with Unit #1 in the fall of 2007 and Unit #2 in the spring of 2008.

Westinghouse Repair & Replacement Services (Monroeville, Pennsylvania) received the contract for the design.

Exelon also owns and operates the 2,440 MW Byron Nuclear Power Station (Byron, Illinois), the 1,116 MW Clinton Nuclear Power Station (Clinton, Illinois), the 2,340 MW LaSalle Nuclear Power Station (Marseilles, Illinois) and the 1,666 MW Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station (Cordova, Illinois).

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