Manufacturing of reactor coolant pump set housings

The reactor coolant pump set (RCPS) housing is a product of safety class 1. At the NPP, it ensures coolant circulation in the primary circuit and operates under pressure of about 160 atm and at temperature of 300 degrees. The reactor plant of one NPP power unit includes four RCPSs.

Production process

01

02

03

04

Guide vanes

Assembly of housing

Assembly with spacer

Quality control

Guide vanes are an internal component of the RCPS and consist of upper and lower disks and 13 guide blades located between them. The guide vanes are fixed in the pump housing and are designed to generate a centrifugal coolant flow inside the pump. During fit-up, orientation of the guide blades should be strictly adhered. The correct orientation ensures smooth and vibration-free operation of the pump set during service.

To assemble the RCPS housing, we weld assembly components to a spherical blank. Initially, the guide vanes are connected to a flange and, then, to a sphere. At the next assembly stage, a suction nozzle followed by a pressure one are welded to the sphere. Before and after heat treatment of the housing assembly, it is machined as necessary.

A spacer is a separately attached component of the RCPS housing. It is manufactured at the RCPS site and is attached to the housing to check compatibility. This is a separate assembly operation, including machining, pinning, assembly, and disassembly. Then, the RCPS housing is subjected to hydraulic tests and machining.

At all stages of manufacturing, the RCPS housing is subjected to various checks including dye penetrant, ultrasonic and radiographic as well as hydraulic and load tests.

1 / 4

Quality control

Dye penetrant test.

Radiographic test

Spacers

Shipment and delivery

After painting, preservation, and packaging, the RCPS housing and spacer are ready for transportation. They are individually delivered to the NPP.