Abstract
The ability to charge and discharge fuel and other reactor channel components with the reactor on load is a key feature of all the British Electricity Boards' nuclear power stations. The system adopted on the Wind-scale Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (W.A.G.R.), where each core channel is provided with its own standpipe (single-channel access), simplifies the operation of locating a particular channel; there is no need to insert any moving parts into the reactor circuit, and the critical operation of coupling the fuel to the machine is carried out at ambient temperature with no radiation problems.
For five years the W.A.G.R. fuelling machine has demonstrated the ease of fuelling with a single-channel access system, and the integrity and reliability of the equipment is demonstrated by its record, which exceeds 7000 operations.
By taking advantage of this operating experience on the W.A.G.R. it is clear that changes can be made in the design of fuelling machines and equipment for future commercial stations to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
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