Generator equipment in place at Vogtle 3

Tuesday, 17 May 2016

Two major components of Vogtle 3's turbogenerator system have been lifted into place at the Georgia nuclear construction project.

Vogtle 3's deaerator is lifted into place (Image: Georgia Power)

The stator assembly, weighing 417 tonnes, and the 275-tonne deaerator were lifted into place by the site's heavy lift derrick, which is one of the largest cranes in the world.

The stator assembly, which was manufactured in Japan, includes the stator and the stator housing. These form a stationary component of the main generator, working together with the main generator's rotor and exciter to generate electricity. Vogtle 3's main generator will have a total energy output of 1117 MWe.

The deaerator, which was manufactured in South Korea, is over 44 metres long and 6 metres high. It is one of the largest single pieces of equipment to be installed in the turbine building. The component provides a purification system for feedwater, removing minerals and other deposits to ensure efficient operation and prevent corrosion.

Two Westinghouse AP1000s are under construction at Vogtle, with unit 3 expected to enter operation by the middle of 2019 and unit 4 by mid-2020. Georgia Power said that the project has achieved "multiple milestones" over the last 30 days with the placement of six new shield building panels for unit 3, the delivery of the first of eight reactor coolant pumps and progress on Vogtle 3's cooling tower, which is now nearing its full height of just over 183 metres.

Georgia Power is a subsidiary of Southern Company.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News