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Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant, Texas |
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Update: October 10, 2008
Next Update: October 2009 Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant Net Generation and Capacity, 2007
Description: The Comanche Peak power plant is located in Somervell County. The plant has about 100 employees. Wayne Manges, program manager for wireless systems, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, referred to Comanche Peak as, “the largest industrial wireless sensor installation in the world.”1 Built specifically to provide cooling water to the plant, Squaw Creek Lake is a 3,228-acre body of water stocked with smallmouth and hybrid bass and other game fish. It is also used for boating, swimming, windsurfing, and scuba diving. According to Bechtel Corporation, the plant was years behind schedule and $9 billion over budget when the corporation was invited to assume management responsibility for completion of the project. Working with the customer, Bechtel completed construction of unit 1 two years later and was then invited to assist in the completion of unit 2. Comanche Peak, formerly owned and operated by Texas Utilities (TXU), was recently acquired by Luminant. Luminant has followed up on TXU’s plan to file a combined license (COL) for two additional reactors at this site. More information on this COL is available in Status of Potential New Commercial Reactors in the United States. Comanche Peak, Unit 1
Nuclear Steam System Supplier (NSSS Vendor) = Westinghouse Electric Company Comanche Peak, Unit 2 Nuclear Steam System Supplier (NSSS Vendor) = Westinghouse Electric Company Pressurized-Water Reactor (PWR) In a typical commercial pressurized light-water reactor (1) the reactor core generates heat, (2) pressurized-water in the primary coolant loop carries the heat to the steam generator, (3) inside the steam generator heat from the primary coolant loop vaporizes the water in a secondary loop producing steam, (4) the steam line directs the steam to the main turbine causing it to turn the turbine generator, which produces electricity. The unused steam is exhausted to the condenser where it is condensed into water. The resulting water is pumped out of the condenser with a series of pumps, reheated, and pumped back to the steam generator. The reactors core contains fuel assemblies which are cooled by water, which is force-circulated by electrically powered pumps. Emergency cooling water is supplied by other pumps, which can be powered by onsite diesel generators. Other safety systems, such as the containment cooling system, also need power.
Containment: According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the constructor for Comanche Peak is Brown & Root and the design is dry, ambient pressure.2 _________________________________________ 1“Look Ma, No Wires,” Wes Iverson, Managing Editor, Automation World, on line http://www.automationworld.com/articles/Features/1777.html , June 20, 2006. |
see also:
annual
nuclear statistics back to 1953
projected electricity capacity to 2030
international
electricity statistics