Anybody remember The China Syndrome Ukraine: Capacity of No 3 generating set of Chernobyl power plant reduced following excessive vibration

Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union - Political Publication date: Mar 04, 2000

Text of report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN

Kiev, 4th March: The State Nuclear Control Administration of Ukraine has told UNIAN that the capacity of the No 3 generating set of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been reduced on the demand of the State Nuclear Control Administration of Ukraine to 60 per cent of the nominal level.

The restriction was introduced because of excessive vibration in pipelines, which, according to preliminary estimates, was to blame for defects and malfunctions of the main preventive valves. That is why the generating set has been halted three times for unplanned repairs.

The reasons for the vibration are being looked into at the Kiev institute for problems of strength, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, to which the damaged assembly and data on measurements made have been passed on. Because of the restriction imposed by the State Nuclear Control

Administration of Ukraine, for several days following the last unplanned repairs of the generating set in order to eliminate a defect at the main preventive valve, its output did not exceed 600 MW.

In order to eliminate the malfunction, on Friday [3rd March] one of the two generators of the No 3 generating set of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was disconnected from the country's power grid and its capacity reduced up to 500 MW (by 50 per cent). The unplanned repairs of the generator are expected to have been completed by the end of the day on 4th March, after which the capacity of the set will be renewed to reach 60 per cent of the nominal capacity. Publication date: Mar 04, 2000 ) 2000, NewsReal, Inc.

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-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), March 04, 2000