Monday, March 5, 2012

PSEG Nuclear's Hope Creek reactor back in service after shutdown for pump repair

LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK TWP. — Less than 24 hours after being shut down for repairs to a key pump, PSEG Nuclear’s Hope Creek reactor returned to service here this morning, a spokesman for the plant’s operator said.

The reactor resumed sending out electricity over the PJM regional power grid at 3:17 a.m. today, said PSEG Nuclear Spokesman Joe Delmar.

The plant was shutdown at 11:02 a.m. Sunday to allow workers to make repairs to a pump at the nuclear plant.

One of Hope Creek’s two reactor water recirculation pumps tripped off-line Thursday afternoon prompting operators to cut the reactor’s output of electricity to 55 percent.

Since then, workers had attempted to find what caused the one pump to shut down and make the repairs needed to restart it, while the plant remained operating at reduced power. On Sunday it was determined that the reactor needed to be taken off-line for the repairs to be made.

Delmar said this morning that repairs were made to the motor generator circuitry associated with the reactor recirculation pump.

The pump that was involved is one of two that recirculates water to the reactor and helps control the amount of power the reactor generates.

The reactor recirculation pumps are part of electricity production and separate from the critical safety-related core cooling water system.

Hope Creek is one of three reactors operated by PSEG Nuclear at its Artificial Island nuclear generating complex on the shore of the Delaware River here.

Delmar said plant operators were gradually increasing power output at the plant, heading toward full power output.

The other two reactors — Salem 1 and Salem 2 — remained operating at full power this morning, Delmar said.

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