Canada’s Bruce Power, Shoreline Power Group, Promation Nuclear, and Laveer Engineering on 16 July celebrated the innovation and delivery of a new re-usable, multi-unit Reactor Maintenance Platform. The platform, which was developed jointly by Promation Nuclear and Laveer Engineering for Shoreline Power Group, will provide access to all 480 fuel channels, spanning the width of the reactor face and will support several Major Component Replacement (MCR) activities as part of Bruce Power’s life-extension programme (LEP). Shoreline Power Group will be performing Fuel Channel and Feeder Replacement (FCFR) scope which is a key part of the MCR project at unit 6 of the Bruce NPP.

“We are in the fourth year of our life-extension programme and are at an exciting point in our journey to ensuring clean, reliable energy for Ontario until 2064 with our first MCR project well underway,” said Bruce Power President and CEO Mike Rencheck. “Through a commitment to quality and passion for excellence, we will collaborate with Promation and all of our supplier partners to successfully complete our project while managing COVID concerns and bringing widespread economic growth to the province of Ontario at a time when it’s desperately needed.”

The MCR project, launched in January at unit 6 of the Bruce B generating station, is the centrepiece of the unit 6 LEP. The LEP, which began in 2016, will be performed on units 3-8 and will continue well into the next decade. When completed, it will ensure the company continues to produce electricity and medical isotopes until 2064.

“Industry is the backbone of our economy. The Life-Extension Program at Bruce Power, with contributions from the nuclear supply chain, including Oakville-based Promation, will create and sustain 22,000 direct and indirect jobs annually, while creating $4 billion in annual economic benefit to Ontario and secure Ontario’s nuclear advantage today and for the future,” said Stephen Crawford, Parliamentary Assistant to the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario’s Minister of Infrastructure, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Oakville.  

In May, Promation Nuclear, which is a member of the Retooling and Economic Recovery Council, unveiled a low-cost ventilator in response to the potential of a sudden surge in demand because of COVID-19 or other future emergencies. The ventilator was produced in collaboration with scientists and industry experts at University Health Network, University of Toronto, and Mackenzie Innovation Institute to develop the ventilators. The design can be easily mass produced, and the company is sharing its knowledge with other teams globally.

This project made sense for Laveer, according to Peter Gowthorpe, Director at Laveer Engineering. “Teaming with Promation for the platform allowed each of the companies to focus on their core business and provide an exceptional product in a timely fashion,” Gowthorpe said. “The value for the end customer is drastically improved where two companies are willing to work together and focus on their strengths.”

Laveer pulled together the requirements from the different work groups using the platform and developed a detailed specification. This specification formed the basis of the design and with it Laveer was able to design and analyse a platform that is compatible with both Bruce A and B MCR work.

Promation Nuclear is a designer and manufacturer of tooling, automation, and robotic systems.   Laveer Engineering Ltd has experience in the power generation and engineered tooling business.  

Shoreline Power Group is a joint venture between Aecon, SNC-Lavalin and AECOM, executing the unit 6 FCFR and gas signed a Preferred Supplier Agreement with Bruce Power under which similar contracts could be awarded for the subsequent five units.

Photo: Bruce Nuclear Power Plant (Credit: Bruce Power)