The Babcock & Wilcox Company

Chapter 50
Nuclear Equipment Manufacture

Many manufacturing operations for nuclear steam drive mechanism (CRDM) tubes penetrate the hemi-
supply system components are similar to those used spherical section and are welded at the inside surface.
for fabricating fossil fueled equipment. However, the Similar tubes for venting and instrumentation may
unique requirements and geometry of nuclear com- also be present, and follow the same general arrange-
ponents call for special manufacturing methods, ment. In recent years, plant owners have replaced
equipment and facilities. Nuclear equipment must reactor closure heads because of stress corrosion crack-
operate reliably with minimal maintenance because ing of the weld between the head and the reactor
of its operating environment. For this reason there are CRDM tubes, and boric acid wastage of the carbon
rigorous equipment specifications by customers and steel base material. (See Chapter 46.) The inside of
regulatory authorities. Quality assurance require- the reactor vessel includes many attachments for the
ments are stringent and special attention must be fuel support system. (See Chapter 49.) Since there
given to cleanliness and material control. have been no reactor vessels manufactured recently
Selecting the manufacturing sequence and meth- by B&W, this section will only focus on reactor vessel
ods requires balancing design requirements with components, such as the reactor closure head.
manufacturing capabilities while meeting commercial
obligations. As a result, special equipment and fabri- Fabrication of replacement reactor
cation sequences are usually required. vessel closure heads
The closure head has a hemispherical dome with a
Typical component description bolting ring flange. The closure heads for typical B&W
reactors measure 16.67 ft (5.08 m) outside diameter
Commercial nuclear components are typically cy- (OD), with a dome radius of approximately 7.25 ft
lindrical pressure vessels. Some of the components are (2.21 m) and a nominal dome thickness of 7 in. (178
large and heavy and require customized shipping and mm). The bolting ring flange is 30 in. (762 mm) thick.
handling arrangements. Reactor vessels and compo-
nents for pressurized water reactor (PWR) systems up
to 32 ft (9.75 m) in diameter, 125 ft (38.1 m) long and
weighing 1000 t (907 tm) have been built by The Bab-
cock & Wilcox Company (B&W). Some nuclear compo-
nents also have close assembly tolerances. This requires
specialized equipment and extraordinary care during
machining and welding operations.

Manufacture of reactor vessel components

Different reactor systems have differing reactor ves-
sel designs. B&W has experience in several systems,
including the PWR, which is the focus of this chapter.
Each reactor vessel is made up of a cylindrical main
section and two hemispherically shaped heads. The
reactor closure head is attached by a bolted flange and
has several penetrations for the reactor control rods,
venting and/or instrumentation (Fig. 1). Control rod Fig. 1 Reactor vessel closure head.

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Typical replacement closure heads are fabricated from

a one-piece forging. This eliminates the periodic in-
service inspection required for pressure boundary
welds. Large diameter heads may have their hemi-
spherical portion made from a single forged partial
hemisphere with additional forged rings or segments
that are welded together. The bolting ring is forged
separately and welded to the hemisphere. All reactor
components made of ferritic material have their inter-
nal surfaces clad with austenitic stainless steel or
Inconel® to provide resistance to corrosion from the reac-
tor coolant. The cladding can be applied using various
welding methods such as submerged arc welding (SAW)
or gas metal arc welding (GMAW) using wire or strip.
Critical features There are several critical features
on the closure head that must be fabricated to close
tolerances. The gasket surface on the bolting ring
must be flat and have the required surface texture
Fig. 2 Horizontal boring mill used to drill holes in reactor pressure
and lay to ensure a leak-tight joint. The CRDM cen- vessel head.
ter lines must be true to the axis of the head and the
CRDM tube diameters must be held within tightly
controlled tolerances to ensure that the operation of reduce residual stress and is applied to once-through
the control rods is not hampered in any way. The weld steam generator (OTSG) tube support plates to
between the CRDM tube and the head is designed and smooth their surface.
fabricated to avoid residual stress and to maintain the
position of the CRDM tube. It is critical to control re- Manufacture of steam generators
sidual stresses during the manufacturing process to
avoid stress corrosion cracking of the closure head B&W manufactures once-through steam generators
during operation. Residual stress is controlled during (OTSG) and recirculating steam generators (RSG) for
manufacture by limiting the cold work and by PWR and Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) re-
electropolishing the CRDM tubes and welds. actor systems. (See Chapter 48.) Both steam genera-
Machining The CRDM tube weld preparations (preps) tors have many components and manufacturing meth-
are machined on a computer numerical control (CNC) ods in common. The following sections describe the fab-
horizontal boring mill. Machining the geometry of the rication of the common components and the manufac-
weld prep requires careful three-dimensional modeling ture of items that are unique to each design. Fig. 4 shows
and programming of the tool path because the geometry a simplified cross section of an RSG, and Fig. 5 shows a
varies depending upon the radial location of the hole on simplified cross section of an OTSG. An RSG consists of
the head. The stud holes and CRDM penetrations are cylindrical and conical shells, hemispherical heads,
drilled using a trepanning cutter (Fig. 2). nozzles, a tubesheet, U-tubes, lattice grid or broached-
Testing and inspection The closure head is tested hole tube supports, baffle and divider plates, a shroud,
and inspected to the requirements of the American and steam drum internals. A typical RSG is about 75
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler & ft (22.9 m) long, 12 to 15 ft (3.7 to 4.6 m) in diameter
Pressure Vessel Code Section III and V. Material test- and weighs up to 400 t (363 tm). An OTSG consists of
ing includes chemistry and mechanical properties and cylindrical shells, hemispherical heads, nozzles, two
may include other tests such as ultrasonic, hydrostatic tubesheets, broached-hole tube support plates, straight
and surface finish depending on the material form and
application. Fabrication testing includes magnetic par-
ticle (MT), dye penetrant (PT), radiographic (RT) and
ultrasonic (UT). Pressure testing includes hydrostatic
testing of the tube material and the closure head as-
sembly. This is done by using a thick circular disc that
is bolted to the head using tooling studs (Fig. 3).
Electropolishing Electropolishing is an electro-
chemical technique that removes a very thin layer of
material from a work piece. Electropolishing can be
used to smooth a surface or to remove a cold worked
layer of material to reduce residual stress. The work
piece is connected electrically as an anode and, along
with an adjacent cathode, simultaneously brought in
contact with an electrolyte. The amount of material
removed is a function of the electrolyte chemistry and
flow, the electrical current and exposure time.
Electropolishing is applied to CRDM nozzle welds to Fig. 3 Hydrostatic testing of closure head assembly.

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Fig. 4 Advanced series recirculating nuclear steam generator.

tubes, a shroud, and feedwater inlet header. A typical

OTSG is about 73 ft (22.3 m) long, 12 ft (3.7 m) in diam-
eter and weighs up to 470 t (426 tm).
Cylindrical shells
The shell courses used in fabricating the cylindri-
cal portion of the steam generators may be made from
forged ring sections or from plate formed by rolls as
shown in Fig. 6. The rolling method depends upon the
size, thickness and material. Cylindrical shells for
steam generators are typically less than 4 in. (101.6
mm) thick and are cold rolled. Some designs require
thicker sections near the tubesheet area or where re-
inforcement for nozzle openings is required. These
shells are usually hot rolled.
For shells made from rolled plate, the longitudinal
seam of each course is submerged arc welded using
an automatic guidance system. In preparation for
circumferentially welding several courses, each course
edge is machined to improve weld quality. The sections
are then aligned, tack welded and set up on drum ro-
tators. A stationary submerged arc welder, automati-
cally guided, is positioned over the seam and the cir-
cumferential welds are made while accurately rotat-
ing the drum. Fig. 5 Once-through nuclear steam generator.

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Steam generator heads

Recirculating steam generators The primary head
of an RSG is typically 10 ft (3.1 m) in diameter, 6 in.
(152.4 mm) thick and weighs up to 35 t (31 tm). Pri-
mary heads used in PWR plant steam generators are
clad on the inside surface. Similar ferritic material
primary surfaces on CANDU RSGs do not require
cladding. Two or three nozzles as large as 41 in. (1041
mm) in diameter are attached to the head. The head
is mounted on a large capacity welding positioner so
that it can be properly oriented for submerged arc
welding of nozzles and attachments. Several attach-
ments for internal components, such as the divider
plate seat and manway hinge, are also welded to the
inside surface of the head.
The steam drum head on an RSG is either semi-el-
Fig. 6 Cold rolling plate for steam generator cylindrical shell.
liptical or hemispherical, is forged or formed from plate,
and is up to 15 ft (4.6 m) in diameter. It also contains
The advantage of using forgings for cylindrical shells one large diameter 30 in. (762 mm) steam outlet
is the elimination of the longitudinal seam. This elimi- nozzle. The nozzle to head weld is performed using
nates the cost of making and examining the weld dur- the submerged arc welding process.
ing manufacture, and eliminates the need to conduct Once-through steam generators The primary head
in-service inspection of the weld. Forged cylinders can of an OTSG (Fig. 8) is similar in size to an RSG and is
usually be made to tighter diameter tolerances. also clad on the inside surface. However, there is no
Tubesheet manufacture divider plate in the primary head of an OTSG. The
lower head is set up on a boring mill and the base
The tubesheet is made from a forging that can weigh support weld prep is machined. The manway gasket
up to 80 t (73 tm). The first major manufacturing op- seat and stud holes are drilled and the threads milled.
eration is cladding the primary side of the tubesheet
with stainless steal or Inconel using GMAW welding
methods, discussed in Chapter 38. The tubesheet is
heated before, during and after welding using large
electric heaters. Usually the welding head is moved
over the stationary tubesheet, however, in some cases
the tubesheet geometry requires it to be rotated un-
der a stationary welding head. In these cases, speed
control of the rotator is critical to maintaining weld
integrity. The clad tubesheet is post weld heat treated
to 1125F (607C). The cladding is then machined and
examined using UT. Cladding thickness after machin-
ing is typically 0.3125 in. (7.9 mm).
Drilling the holes through which the tubes are in-
serted is the most critical operation for tubesheet manu-
facture. A typical tubesheet is 24 in. (610 mm) thick and
has up to 15,000 holes or more ranging in diameter from
0.5 to 0.875 in. (12.7 to 22 mm), depending upon the
tubing size. These holes must be located accurately, be
precise in diameter, and be straight and perpendicular
to the tubesheet surface. Variations from perpendicular-
ity, often called drill drift, are typically limited to 0.015
in. (0.38 mm) through the thickness of the tubesheet.
Extreme care is therefore given to gundrilling.
Gundrilling is done on a multi-spindle, computer-
controlled horizontal drilling machine (Fig. 7).
Gundrills are designed to drill holes with large depth-
to-diameter ratios. Coolant travels through the cen-
ter of the drill and removes cutting chips through a
channel along its shank.
Regular dimensional and visual inspections of the
drill tools and the hole diameters and locations are
conducted. After gundrilling, the tubesheet has its cir-
cumferential weld preparations machined on a verti-
cal or horizontal boring mill. Fig. 7 Gundrilling a tubesheet.

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The base support is fitted and set up on a weld Circumferential weld seams are typically made with
positioner for submerged arc welding. The primary submerged arc welding (SAW) (Fig. 9). The compo-
nozzles are fit and welded using an orbital gas tung- nents are aligned and then rotated under a station-
sten arc welder (GTAW) that travels around the weld ary submerged arc weld head. The welds are gener-
seam utilizing specialized guidance systems, and video ally two-sided (first welded on the inside and then on
cameras to provide visibility for the operators. This the outside of the wall thickness) so that the root of
equipment is necessary due to the restricted access the weld can be ground clear prior to welding the op-
around the weld seam created by the base support. posite side. If access to the inside is restricted, the
All nozzle welds are backclad to ensure that there is a welds are one-sided and are made from the outside.
continuous corrosion resistant cladding on surfaces in This requires precise alignment of the mating weld
contact with primary side water. The welds then re- preps to avoid any defects at the root of the weld. This
ceive a post weld heat treatment (PWHT) and volu- area may have restricted access for grinding and ex-
metric examination by ultrasonic testing (UT) or ra- amining the surface. The welds receive surface NDE
diographic testing (RT), and surface examination us- (MT, PT) and volumetric NDE (UT, RT). The ASME
ing magnetic particle (MT) or dye penetrant testing Code specifies when these examinations shall be made
(PT). The head is then set up on a vertical boring mill with respect to the PWHT.
and the base support and circumferential seam weld The OTSG pressure boundary assembly has some
prep are machined. unique differences from an RSG, mainly because the
second tubesheet must be installed after the shroud
and tube bundle supports are installed. The lower pri-
Pressure boundary assembly mary head is installed after the tubes are inserted.
Pressure boundary components include the cylin- This sequence is explained in more detail later in this
drical shells, heads, the tubesheet, and external and chapter.
internal supports. Pressure boundary post weld heat treatment PWHT
Alignment, welding, nondestructive examination is an important consideration in planning the assem-
(NDE), PWHT and machining are critical operations bly of a steam generator. All carbon steel pressure
when assembling these components. The sequence of boundary welds require PWHT. In the assembly se-
adding nozzles and attachments depends on the ac- quence, these welds must be accessible for NDE after
curacy requirements and anticipated weld distortion PWHT, as specified by the ASME Code (Fig. 10).
during assembly. If there are tight tolerance require- PWHT is conducted on as large an assembly as pos-
ments on the location of nozzles and attachments, sible to save on the cost of the PWHT furnace opera-
these features are machined after final assembly and tion. Offsetting this are the risk and cost of having to
PWHT of the pressure boundary components. How- re-PWHT this large assembly in the event of a major
ever, this adds to the critical path schedule and, where weld repair. Consequently, an assurance NDE is con-
it can be accommodated, these features are attached ducted prior to PWHT. If there are many complex
to the individual components and machined prior to welds in an assembly, a subassembly of these compo-
component assembly. nents may receive its own PWHT and NDE.

Fig. 8 Once-through steam generator primary head. Fig. 9 Submerged arc welding.

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Lattice grids (see also Chapter 48) must be accurately

manufactured so each diamond is precisely aligned with
the tubesheet drilling pattern. During tube bundle as-
sembly, each tube is inserted through each grid then
through the holes in the tubesheet. The accuracy of the
lattice grids determines the ease with which the tube
bundle is assembled.
The most critical operation in manufacturing lat-
tice grids is cutting slots in the rings and bars where
the bars intersect and fit together. Slotting is done
using a special milling cutter setup driven by a bor-
ing mill. It is extremely important for the cutter setup
to be accurate and the work piece to be set up true to
the machine to control slot depth and angle. The mill
must be calibrated to ensure that it is capable of pre-
cisely positioning the tool. CNC machines are essen-
Fig. 10 Radiographic examination of a steam generator weld. tial to ensure consistent quality. After final assembly,
the completed grid is inspected to verify that the dia-
The pressure boundary assembly is prepared for monds are properly located.
PWHT by sealing all openings. The tubesheet holes OTSGs use broached tube support plates (TSP) to
are cleaned to ensure that all contaminants that might support the bundle. These TSPs are typically flat
adhere to the surface during PWHT are removed. plates made of stainless steel that are drilled to the
Thermocouples are attached in strategic locations to tube bundle pattern using a multi-spindle drill. Each
monitor and control the heating and cooling operation hole is then machined by broaching so that the final
and to ensure that the welds achieve their required tem- hole shape resembles a trefoil pattern consisting of
perature. The vessel is filled with argon, which is slowly three contact areas that support the tube and three
circulated through the inside of the vessel during PWHT enlarged areas that allow flow through the plate (Fig.
to eliminate oxidation. The pressure boundary is then 12). Broaching is done on a multi-spindle CNC ma-
heated in a computer-controlled gas-fired furnace.
PWHT of RSG pressure boundary PWHT can cause
significant temperature differences and thermal stress
in the pressure boundary assembly, especially if its
geometry is complex. Therefore, the pressure bound-
ary is assembled and post weld heat treated prior to
installation of the tube bundle to avoid harmful dif-
ferential thermal expansion effects. The primary head
is welded to the tubesheet prior to the tube bundle as-
sembly to avoid PWHT effects, although this means
that the tube seal welding must be done in a confined
area. After installing the tube bundle, the final clos-
ing seam is welded and locally heat treated. This is
described later in this chapter. The welds are then ex-
amined according to ASME Code.
PWHT of OTSG pressure boundary The upper tube-
sheet and upper primary head of an OTSG are in-
stalled after the shroud and bundle supports are in-
stalled. These two circumferential seams receive a lo-
cal PWHT. The straight tubes are inserted through
the lower tubesheet and seal welded at both ends. Then
the lower primary head is installed. The circumferen-
tial seam between the lower primary head and lower
tubesheet requires local PWHT after welding. These
operations are described later in this chapter.
Tube bundle components
Tube support assemblies The tube supports of mod-
ern RSGs are lattice grids. These grids consist of a ring
assembly and a grid of flat bars that are assembled in
the ring to form the lattice pattern. The flat bars inter-
secting each other on their edges form a diamond shape
around each tube. This provides good vibration damp-
ening yet allows the steam-water mixture to flow through
the bundle with minimal pressure drop (Fig. 11). Fig. 11 Lattice-grid tube supports.

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chine that pulls the broaches through the plate verti-

cally downward (Fig. 13). Before broaching, the holes
are tapered on one or both ends depending upon their
location in the bundle to accommodate tube bundle
assembly and to provide improved pressure drop for
secondary side flow. After broaching, each plate is
electropolished by immersing the plate into a tank
containing electrolyte and passing appropriate cur-
rent between the plate and a nearby cathode.
Electropolishing removes burrs and smooths the sur-
face to avoid damage to the tubes during insertion.
Baffle plates Baffle plates are installed in the
preheater section of RSGs to direct water flow. Baffles
are fabricated from machined plates. The plates are
normally drilled by assembling them into a tightly
clamped stack using bolts and welds and then Fig. 13 Multi-spindle CNC broaching machine.
gundrilling. Drilling a stack of plates requires the
plates to be ground flat and to uniform thickness to In the OTSG design, the bundle consists of straight
ensure that the holes in individual plates have accu- tubes. In the RSG, bundles are composed of U-tubes.
rate perpendicularity to their individual plate surface. The U-tubes must have accurate bend radii,
Generally, larger diameter baffle plates are best drilled straight leg lengths, and must be within a strict ovality
individually using a gantry drill because of the diffi- and wall thinning tolerance. These tolerances are re-
culty of clamping, handling and accurately drilling a quired to ensure that tolerance stack-up does not cause
stack of large diameter plates. interference in the U-bend region. To achieve these
U-bend supports The tube U-bends (Fig. 14) of RSGs
tolerances, the tubes are purchased to a length toler-
are protected from flow-induced vibration by U-bend ance of 0.125 in. (3.18 mm). The tubes are formed on
supports. These consist of an assembly of stainless steel a draw bender over dies to a radius tolerance of ±0.03
flat bars that are GTAW welded to a collector bar to form in. (0.8 mm). The dies for the tight radius bends are
a fan bar assembly. Some types of stainless steel require
that these GTAW welds receive a PWHT in a controlled
atmosphere. The angular separation of the fan bars
depends upon the U-bend size and flow conditions, and
the bars are located to minimize unsupported tube
lengths. The fan bar assemblies are installed between
the tube rows, and the outer ends of the fan bars are
joined after assembly in the bundle with an arch bar.
The U-bend support assembly is not connected to the
shroud, thus allowing the assembly to float with the
tube bundle during operation.
Tube bending Tubes for steam generators are typi-
cally 0.5 to 0.875 in. (12.7 to 22 mm) diameter with a
typical nominal wall thickness of 0.045 in. (1.14 mm).

Fig. 12 Broached tube support plate. Fig. 14 U-bend tube supports.

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designed to contain the tube and to minimize ovality length that ensure parallel placement of the plates to
during bending. After the tubes are bent, they are the tubesheet. The baffle plates must have radial
dimensionally checked to verify that all tolerances clearance to allow for thermal expansion. This clear-
have been met. ance, however, creates an installation problem be-
Shrouds The shrouds are fabricated from steel cause the baffles must support the tube bundle and
plates rolled into cylinders and their longitudinal remain in alignment with the tubesheet while the
seams are joined by SAW. The sections of the shroud tubes are being installed. This problem is overcome by
near the preheater section of the RSG may have their installing a special shim that fits into the clearance
inside diameters machined round. This ensures that between the baffle plates and the shroud. This shim
baffle plates can slide axially and can expand during dissolves during vessel operation, thereby maintain-
various operating conditions. These shroud sections ing the proper clearance.
for RSGs may also contain manifolds to distribute the The lattice grids for RSGs are installed by mount-
incoming feedwater and recirculating water. ing them on a boom (Fig. 16). The grids are aligned
It is critical to ensure that the inside radius of the with the tubesheet using optical scopes mounted on
shroud is accurate so that the required clearance exists the primary side of the tubesheet. A small target is po-
to allow lattice grids and baffles to be aligned with the sitioned in selected tube locations on the lattice grids,
tubesheet pattern. The inside radius of the RSG shroud and the grid is adjusted using wedges around its cir-
is measured by projecting a laser down its centerline and cumference until the target aligns with the scope’s line
using a radial micrometer. Alternatively, an optical in- of sight. Alignment rods that are the same diameter
strument can be used in a similar setup. as the tube are also used to check the alignment of
the lattice grids. The grids are held in place by sup-
Tube bundle assembly port blocks welded to the inside of the shroud.
The tube bundle is assembled in a clean room (Fig. To ensure that the tubes can be installed in an
15) to ensure that the components are not contami- OTSG without misalignment or damage to their sur-
nated. Cleanliness and material control procedures are face, it is critical that the TSPs are aligned with the
carefully monitored. All internal components are hole pattern in the tubesheet and are parallel to the
cleaned just prior to enclosing them. tubesheet face. The TSPs for OTSGs are connected
Installation of shroud and bundle supports The shroud together with tie rods. The first set of tie rods is in-
must be installed and aligned to ensure that the tube stalled into the tubesheet, and the ends are checked
bundle supports can be aligned with the tubesheet drill- with a coordinate measuring machine to ensure they
ing pattern. The shroud is installed horizontally by provide a flat plane for the first TSP to rest against.
using wheels or bearing rollers bolted onto one end. This Support blocks are aligned and welded to the shroud,
allows the tubesheet end of the shroud to roll into the providing support to the circumferential edge of the
shell as a crane supports the other end and provides a TSP. The first support plate is installed and aligned
horizontal push. The shroud is then aligned using pins using similar optical techniques to that used for align-
located around its circumference. ing lattice grids. Then, wedges and keys are installed
If the RSG design includes an integral preheater, to firmly support the TSP and to keep it in alignment
a secondary divider plate is installed with a powered during rotation of the vessel for subsequent manufac-
cart, which also adjusts the position of the divider turing operations. This sequence is repeated for each
plate. This plate fits into grooves in the shroud. The TSP. After all the TSPs are installed, the top tubesheet
preheater baffle plates are then installed by mount- is set up on an alignment fixture in preparation for
ing them on the end of a boom that is driven by a floor installation. Optical alignment scopes are set up, and
mounted power unit. The holes in the baffle plates the tubesheet is fit to the cylindrical shell. Ceramic
must be aligned with those in the tubesheet. backing bar is installed to the inside diameter of the
Baffle plates are supported by tie rods machined to circumferential seam along with alignment wedges.

Fig. 15 Nuclear clean room. Fig. 16 Installation of lattice grid tube bundle support.

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After fitup and alignment have been confirmed, the root

passes of the weld are made while monitoring the align-
ment. The ceramic backing bar is removed, the optical
instruments are removed, and the remainder of the
weld is completed with SAW. The completed seam then
receives MT, UT (Fig. 17) and RT.
Installation of tubes Tubes are installed with the
vessel in a horizontal position. Each tube hole and
tube are dry-swabbed clean just prior to assembly.
Cleaning operations at this stage are done without
liquids. Any moisture or contaminants trapped be-
tween the tube and tube hole can cause tube-to-
tubesheet welding defects.
In an RSG, the U-tubes are fitted with a plastic tube
end pointer and installed in layers from the smallest
bend radius tubes to the largest bend radius tubes
(Fig. 18) starting with the lowest layer. This tubing
sequence simplifies the temporary supports that must
be installed to keep the U-bend supported during tube
installation. As each layer is installed, the appropri-
ate U-bend support fan is installed. The partially com-
pleted bundle is temporarily supported to prevent sag-
ging due to the weight of the tubes. Each U-tube is
inserted until it protrudes the specified amount from
the primary face of the tubesheet. This amount of Fig. 17 Ultrasonic inspection of seam weld.
protrusion depends upon whether the tube-to-
tubesheet weld is a fillet weld or a flush weld. The
installer also checks for proper clearance between each
U-bend. The tubes are tack expanded by inserting an
expander inside the tubes about 0.75 in. (19 mm). The
expander consists of a split collet actuated by a hy-
draulically driven tapered mandrel. This yields the
tube sufficiently to hold it in place and to close the gap
for welding. This expansion method produces less re-
sidual stress in the tube than other methods, such as
roller expansion.
In an OTSG, the straight tubes are fitted with plas-
tic tube end pointers, cleaned, and installed in layers
starting from the top layer and working down. This
tubing sequence avoids any particulate matter that
may be picked up by the tube during insertion from
falling down onto tube ends that have already been
installed. This sequence also simplifies retrieval of a
tube end pointer in the unlikely event that one comes
loose during tube insertion. Tubes are inserted
through the bottom tubesheet, through the TSP as-
sembly, and through the upper tubesheet. The tubes
are inserted so that the correct tube projection is
achieved at the upper tubesheet. The tubes are then
tack expanded using the same tack expansion tech-
niques that are used for RSGs. The tubes in the up-
per tubesheet are final tack expanded and seal welded.
The tube ends in the lower tubesheet receive an ini-
tial expansion to provide some support to the tube
while the tube ends are machined to the proper pro-
trusion at the lower tubesheet. This is followed by a
final tack expansion.
Tube-to-tubesheet welding The tubes and tube-
sheets are joined with automatic gas tungsten arc
welding (GTAW). The tube-to-tubesheet welding
heads are specially designed units to provide welds of
consistent quality (Fig. 19). At the beginning of each
shift, each operator makes a tube-to-tubesheet weld test Fig. 18 Installation of tubing.

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block. The block receives a visual and PT inspection, and expansion is done in two or more steps. Following ex-
is then sectioned for further metallurgical examination. pansion, each tube is examined with eddy current
Each weld is visually compared to a workmanship testing (ECT) techniques.
sample. All welds not meeting the sample quality are
repaired and then rewelded. This is followed by PT Steam drum internals
examination of all tube-to-tubesheet welds. Finally, a RSGs require a steam drum and steam separators
leak test is done by pressurizing the secondary side with to remove moisture from the steam (Fig. 20). OTSGs
a mixture of air and helium. The primary tubesheet face provide steam at slightly superheated conditions and
is then monitored for helium leaks at the welds. do not require steam separators. The steam separa-
Tube expansion Each tube is hydraulically ex- tors are similar in design to those used on fossil-fuel
panded into its hole after tube-to-tubesheet welding. boilers. Generally, the separators in nuclear steam
This expansion closes the crevice between the tube and generators are an axial flow type, although tangen-
the hole to avoid a potential corrosion site. The tube tial flow separators have been used. There are typi-
may be expanded near the secondary face of the cally more than 100 separators in a large RSG. Most
tubesheet or it may be expanded full depth or at the designs also have smaller secondary separators lo-
primary face depending on customer specifications. cated above the primary units.
Hydraulic expansion is the recommended method for The fabrication and assembly tolerances of steam
nuclear steam generators because it produces less re- separators are critical. The shape and assembly clear-
sidual stress in the tube and reduces the potential for ances of internal components have a significant effect
stress corrosion cracking compared to other expansion on separator performance. Custom made assembly
methods. Each tube is expanded by inserting a probe jigs and fixtures are used to ensure that the required
that has a seal positioned at each end of the expansion tolerances are met. In addition, all internal welds are
zone. Distilled water at approximately 35,000 psi (241.3 carefully ground to avoid discontinuities that affect
MPa) is pumped through the probe, expanding the separator performance.
tube and sealing it against the tube hole. The steam separators are installed in a deck struc-
The expansion probe must be carefully positioned ture made of steel plate. This deck support structure
with respect to the secondary face of the tubesheet. If is welded to the inside of the drum, and the supports
the probe is positioned beyond the face, then unac- are designed to accommodate differential thermal ex-
ceptable tube deformation could occur. If the probe is pansion during steam generator operation as well as
too far inside the tube hole, an unacceptably long crev- loads due to specified accidental pipe break and seis-
ice could possibly result. Therefore, the tubesheet mic events. The separator and deck structure is usu-
thickness variation is measured and the probe length ally of modular construction to simplify installation
is adjusted to ensure proper positioning. into the steam drum.
Tubes located near the tubesheet periphery may
require expansion using special probes because the Final assembly
curvature of the head encroaches on the probe inser- Closing seam fitting and welding of RSGs The final
tion area. A flexible extension is attached to the probe, assembly operation for RSG fabrication consists of fit-
which allows it to be inserted in confined areas. In ting and welding the closing seam, which is usually
cases where the tube must be expanded full depth, the one of the circumferential seams on the cone. The
steam drum and the cylindrical shell are positioned
on rotators and the circumferential seam is aligned.
Previous machining of the component mating surfaces
assures good alignment. The weld could be either a
two-sided weld if there is sufficient access to the in-
side of the vessel, or a one-sided weld. If a one-sided
weld is used, it is generally of a narrow groove design
to limit the volume of weld deposit. The sequence of
making a one-sided weld is described later.
Prior to starting work on the inside of the vessel,
the tube bundle and the steam separator assembly are
sealed off to prevent weld flux and other material from
entering. The drum and cylindrical shell are aligned
and the seam is tack welded to hold the components
in position. The next several weld passes are com-
pleted using shielded metal arc welding (SMAW). This
additional welding provides enough structural
strength to allow the assembly to be moved to a sub-
merged arc welding station where the outside of the
weld is finished using SAW. As the vessel is rotated,
the weld is completed.
Due to access limitations at some sites installing
replacement RSGs, fitting and welding of the closing
Fig. 19 Tube-to-tubesheet welding. seam may not occur until after the RSG is inside the

50-10 Steam 41 / Nuclear Equipment Manufacture

 The Babcock & Wilcox Company

face to further control the temperature gradients.

Heat transfer by convection to the secondary side may
be controlled either by drawing a vacuum, or by pro-
viding air circulation, depending on the requirements
during heat-up or cool-down.
Final inspection and testing
A hydrostatic test is done on the completed vessel;
the primary and secondary sides are tested separately.
The test consists of filling the vessel with treated wa-
ter that is pressurized to 125% of the design pressure.
The pressure is reduced and held at the design pres-
sure while an inspector examines the vessel for leaks.
The metal temperature must be held above 70F (21C)
to keep it well above its brittle transition temperature.
After hydrostatic testing, the vessel is drained and
Fig. 20 Fabrication of steam separator subassembly. dried. A vacuum is drawn on the secondary side to as-
sist drying. Felt plugs are also blown through the
containment building. In these cases, the lower half tubes to dry them. All accessible pressure boundary
of the steam generator is generally assembled to the welds are then examined by the MT method.
refitted upper half of the original steam generator. Nozzles and integral support surfaces, called ter-
Typically, the steam drum and head will be refit with minal points, connect to mating components in the
new separators and steam flow control equipment field and must be within specified tolerances to sim-
before the closing seam is made with the steam gen- plify field installation and minimize stresses caused
erator vertical and in place. by fitup. Special coordinate measuring machines (Fig.
Local PWHT of RSG closing seam The closing cir- 21) are used to set up the tools used to machine the
cumferential seam requires post weld heat treatment. final terminal point geometry (Fig. 22). It is common
Because temperature differences during this procedure practice to finish machine nozzle weld preps at this
can exceed those experienced during normal opera- stage to bring them within tolerance.
tion of the vessel, care must be taken to avoid exces- Just prior to closing the vessel, the insides of the
sive and harmful differential expansion of internal tubes are cleaned by blowing felt plugs through them.
components. Temperatures can be controlled using an The secondary side of the steam generator is exam-
electric furnace designed to fit around the closing ined and cleaned, and final drum internal components
seam. Insulation is applied to the outside of the ves- are installed. All manway covers are bolted on. The
sel shell and to the attachments in the vicinity of the primary and secondary sides of the vessel are evacu-
seam. The tube bundle U-bend region is also insulated ated and backfilled with nitrogen to reduce the for-
to reduce radiant heat transfer. Internal heat trans- mation of oxides. Steam generators are wrapped in
fer is further reduced by drawing a vacuum on the shrink-wrap plastic to protect them during shipment.
secondary side of the vessel. During PWHT, air may
be blown through the tube bundle primary side to limit Surface conditioning
tube temperature. Thermocouples are mounted in Some steam generator owners specify that the in-
each critical area to monitor and control the process. side surfaces of the primary side (excluding the tub-
The electric furnace has several zones that can be ing) are to be surface conditioned or electropolished.
independently controlled to keep the temperatures This process produces a very smooth surface finish,
within prescribed limits. A computer is used to control
the furnace and to collect data and provide a record
of temperatures.
Final assembly and local PWHT of OTSG pressure
boundary After the straight tubes are inserted through
the lower tubesheet, seal welded and helium leak
tested, the lower primary head is installed. The cir-
cumferential seam between the lower primary head
and lower tubesheet requires local PWHT after weld-
ing. This operation is complex because the tube bundle
will be partially heated during the operation. Tem-
perature gradient limits are imposed to limit the
stresses in each component and to limit the loads on
the tubes due to the difference in coefficient of ther-
mal expansion between the tubes and carbon steel
pressure boundary. An electrically heated clamshell
furnace is installed around each circumferential weld
seam. Supplementary electric heaters may be placed Fig. 21 Set up of nozzle machining tools using coordinated mea-
on other components such as the tubesheet primary suring machine.

Steam 41 / Nuclear Equipment Manufacture 50-11

 The Babcock & Wilcox Company

cars, the bunks must be designed to allow movement of

the load while negotiating curves. Additional ballast may
be attached to the rail car to lower the center of gravity.

Manufacture of pressurizers
Pressurizers are cylindrical vessels that help stabi-
lize the pressure in the primary heat transport sys-
tem. (See Chapter 46.) Each unit is fitted with special
penetrations in which electrical heaters are installed.
Pressure boundary assembly
The pressure boundary consists of cylindrical shells
and hemispherical heads. The pressure boundary con-
tains a surge nozzle, spray inlet nozzle, several connec-
tions for electric heaters, and various small water level
nozzles. The manufacturing methods and quality assur-
ance requirements for these components are the same
as those described previously for steam generators.
Fig. 22 Final nozzle end machining. Heater connections and installation The heaters are
the direct immersion type, sheathed in stainless steel
or Inconel and assembled in bundles. In some designs,
typically 10 microinches or better. This results in a sig- the heaters consist of a single straight element. Each
nificant reduction in true surface area of the work of the elements is field assembled through penetrations
piece which in turn reduces radioactive isotope update in the vessel wall and is sealed by means of a bolted clo-
and occupational exposure. Reduced occupational ex- sure. The closure is sealed by gaskets or patented me-
posure makes these components more easily main- chanical seals. An electrical connection is then made to
tained in the field. the end of each heater using a special insulated fitting.
The first step in surface conditioning is to grind the
surface with abrasive flap wheels. Several passes are Post weld heat treatment
required, each one made with progressively finer abra- PWHT of pressurizers is simpler than that of steam
sives until a surface finish of 40 microinches is generators because there are no complex geometries
achieved. This operation can be done by machine on or internals that limit heating and cooling rates.
an individual component prior to assembly. However, PWHT is done by putting the completed pressurizer
this is usually impractical because the component in a gas furnace and heating to 1125F (607C).
must then be protected from surface damage for the Some patented mechanical seals used for the heater
remainder of the manufacturing operation. Usually, connections must be installed prior to PWHT because
the grinding is done near the end of the assembly se- of their required machined surface finish. This machin-
quence with hand tools. This is a time consuming op- ing can not be done after the component is welded onto
eration, especially if as-welded surfaces are involved. the vessel because of inadequate access for specialized
The second step in surface conditioning is to impart equipment. As a result, the sealing surface is protected
further improvements in surface roughness on a mi- from the furnace environment by coating it with an
croscopic scale by electropolishing. In electropolishing, antiscaling compound. Some minor surface dressing of
an applied electric current flows from the metal sur- the sealing surface may be required after PWHT.
face (anode or work piece) through a conductive elec-
trolytic solution to another conducting surface (cath-
ode). This process smooths the micropeaks formed by
mechanical grinding.
Shipping
Steam generators may be shipped by rail or by spe-
cial road transport directly to the plant site, or may
travel part of the way by barge or heavy lift ship. For
rail transportation, the load must be centered on the
car for even weight distribution. If the vessel is long,
it can span two railway cars. If it is short, a single
heavy-duty flat car is usually sufficient (Fig. 23). The
vessel is oriented to minimize its width and height and
is loaded onto bunks fastened to the car. Loads up to
16 ft (4.9 m) in diameter can be shipped along most
routes in the United States and Canada. Shipping
larger units requires measurement of bridge clearances
and other potential obstructions. If the vessel spans two Fig. 23 Steam generator awaiting offloading to heavy lift ship.

50-12 Steam 41 / Nuclear Equipment Manufacture

 The Babcock & Wilcox Company

Manufacture of dry shielded canisters1 cally 5 in. (127 mm) thick. A gamma ray scan confirms
the effective thickness of the lead shielding.
Dry shielded canisters are part of a system of con- The top cover plates are welded to the canister in
tainers used to store and ship spent nuclear fuel. The the field. Consequently, it is critical to maintain a spe-
canisters are designed to safely store bundles of spent cific radial gap between the cover plate and the in-
fuel at plant sites, and some designs allow transport side diameter (ID) of the cylinder. One way of accom-
to long-term storage sites. The design of the canisters plishing this is by machining and hand working the
and internal structures serves as the containment OD of the cover plates to suit the as-built ID of the
boundary to confine radioactive spent fuel and pro- cylinder. The cover plate must also meet a specific
vide a leak-tight, inert atmosphere to ensure that the thickness tolerance to ensure that the maximum
integrity of the fuel cladding is maintained. A typical amount of fuel can physically fit into the canister. This
canister consists of an outer cylindrical shell made of requires flattening operations of the plates during ma-
stainless steel, typically 5.5 ft (1.7 m) in diameter by chining and frequent UT thickness checks. There are
15.5 ft (4.7 m) in length. The internal assembly con- similar requirements to custom machine, flatten and
sists of an array of guide sleeves that are square in hand work the top shield plug to achieve specified
cross-section. Each one is designed to accept a bundle radial gap.
of spent fuel. The guide sleeves are made of stainless The guide sleeves are made to form a square cross-
steel. The ends of the canisters are capped with shield section and are sized to suit the dimensions of PWR
plugs that include lead shielding. Although many in- and BWR fuel assemblies. The tight tolerances on the
dividualized components are similar to other nuclear guide sleeves ensure that a spent fuel bundle can be
pressure vessels, there are several unique features inserted without binding. The guide sleeves are formed
that require specialized manufacturing operations. from stainless steel sheet, and the longitudinal seams
For example, for some designs, it is necessary to limit the are welded using a welding jig that maintains the
canister weight due to specific lifting capabilities at the sleeve geometry. The welding equipment utilizes cool-
plant site. Therefore, material thickness must be checked ing methods and heat input techniques that minimize
frequently to allow the manufacturing tolerances to be distortion due to welding.
worked toward their minimum material condition. During manufacture and assembly of the basket as-
The cylindrical shells are made from stainless steel sembly, it is critical to align the spacer discs that sup-
plate using manufacturing operations common to port the guide sleeve so the sleeves can be installed
other components described earlier. However, their without distortion or binding. The spacer discs are set
outside surface must meet tight tolerances on circu- up in an alignment jig and welded to the support rods.
larity, diameter and straightness because the cylinder The entire assembly must meet exacting geometric
must fit inside a shielded storage container. The mini- requirements of overall perpendicularity, cylindricity
mum diameter is limited by the requirement to insert and height to accommodate thermal expansion dur-
the basket assembly into the cylinder without restric- ing service and to resist potential impact loading dur-
tion. The diameter must also provide sufficient allow- ing transport.
ance for differential expansion of shell and basket After the basket assembly is assembled into the cyl-
assembly components when the assembly is subject to inder, the final alignment of each guide sleeve is
elevated temperature during service. checked using a plug gauge. The plug gauge, repre-
The shield plugs consist of a stainless or carbon steel senting the maximum size of fuel to be stored in the
circular disk with ribs or stiffeners welded to it. The canister, must pass through the guide sleeve within a
entire shield plug assembly is poured full of lead typi- specified load limit.

Reference
1. Johnson, E.R., and Saverot, P.M., Eds., Monograph
on Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Technologies, Institute
of Nuclear Materials Management, Northbrook, Illinois,
1997.

Inconel is a trademark of the Special Metals Corporation group of

companies.

Steam 41 / Nuclear Equipment Manufacture 50-13

 The Babcock & Wilcox Company

B&W nuclear steam generator U-bend supports provide close-tolerance fit for improved vibration control.

50-14 Steam 41 / Nuclear Equipment Manufacture