Self-Contained Tensioner Eases Pressure
The remarkable Biach SCT tensioner from Hydratight brings greater safety, reduced manpower and shorter downtime to a critical task.
The advanced reactor pressure vessel stud tensioner, the SCT, is a unique self-contained unit - needing only a power source, no hydraulic connections or remote pump-control unit or operator.
In live tests, the SCT has reduced typical tensioning time from up to four hours to under an hour, with 40 per cent less manpower - meaning lower potential RAD exposure time and greatly-reduced reactor downtime.
"The unit has been in development for over three years: the Biach SCT is a major advance in RPV tensioning and operator safety," explained Jon Slocum of Hydratight.
"The new system eliminates the separate control unit: each of the tensioners has its own 10,000psi pump unit and can be easily moved into position by two men. Most importantly, each SCT networks to the other units, and each one displays the readings of the others in use. This means one operator can control all devices in a typical setup. It's a remarkable piece of equipment."
In other systems, tensioners must be connected to a central control unit, which means
the speed of the slowest crew member is the speed of all of them. It also means having potentially dangerous hydraulic cables and manifolds on the reactor floor and one man, usually out of the immediate area, to operate the control unit. The SCT streamlines the whole process.
The recent acquisition of Biach Industries - one of the world's foremost nuclear reactor equipment companies -- by global engineering and joint integrity specialist Hydratight, gives the outstanding SCT a well-deserved global market. issued on behalf of Hydratight US
