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Remote Cutting Tool and Delivery System Print E-mail
Customer:         Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL)
Project:             Bruce Units 1 & 2 Retube
Location:          Bruce Power's Bruce Nuclear Generating Station, Ontario, Canada
Services:          Engineering, design, procurement, fabrication, assembly, testing

Scope of work:

Prototype development and testing
  • Mechanical and electrical system engineering and design
  • Controls and software development and supply
  • Fabrication, inspection and commissioning
  • Operation and maintenance documentation
  • Site commissioning and operation support

System Function and Features:

The "retubing" operation of CANDU refurbishment requires the cutting and removal of reactor Calandria End-Fittings and Pressure Tubes. Highly irradiated fuel channel components must be removed and replaced.  This remote operated Cutting Tool is positioned on the reactor face aboard a ODIM Numet supplied Work Table.  The tool Delivery System locks onto a pressure tube end-fitting and aligns the cutting head in 3 axes to a precision of 0.05 inches using a camera/system. A custom cutting head is rotated around the end-fitting cutting at 400 RPM. 480 channels must be completed per reactor face with an actual cutting time of about 60 minutes each.Remote Cutting Tool and Delivery System