Ovivo UK have been awarded the contract to supply Nuclear New Build (NNB) / Électricité de France S.A. (EDF; Electricity of France) with the water inlet system for the Hinkley Point ‘C’ (HPC) Nuclear Power Station, which will be one of the largest filtration systems in the world when installed. As part of the Contract, Ovivo are required to test the filtration mesh panel system to demonstrate that it can achieve the required performance parameters based on the various load conditions that the equipment will be expected to encounter during its working life. The 1m x 1.5m mesh panels will be fitted to four 27m diameter drums, which complete a full rotation every 35 minutes. Water enters from the side and flows through the panels radially from the inside to the outside, filtering through the mesh. The debris collected in the mesh is then cleaned using jets of water and a hopper.
Structural Testing
The tests were witnessed by representatives from Ovivo UK. They assessed the structural strength of the proposed mesh panels to be used for the Drum Screen. This is a key part of the cooling water intake screening system, which will be used to cool both the electricity generating steam-cycle and the nuclear reactor services of the new nuclear power plant.
The tests examined potential deformation by applying pressure cycles to the mesh to determine whether the mesh would withstand service at its maximum design pressure. Three different meshes were successfully tested at various pressure increments to a maximum of 3.5 times the mesh design pressure, without a single failure. Linear Variable Displacement Transducers (LVDT’s) continuously captured displacement measurements at various positions on the mesh whilst also recording pressure and temperature measurements. The data captured was recorded and analysed using state of the art data acquisition software configured for this test by SC Innovation.
