Developments in nuclear condenser refurbishments illustrated by our experience on a Russian technology turbine

In a power station the condenser is a vital component as it conditions the good performance of the steam turbine. It is a critical item subject to various damages due for example to the poor quality of the cooling water, to steam erosion, etc. Therefore its renovation is often a priority, and of a rather small cost, in relation to the extension of the power station life and the improvement of performances obtained from this operation. Various types of condenser renovations are possible from simple retubing to complete revamping. GEC ALSTHOM Delas has developed an efficient technique of condenser modular revamping: the design of the condenser is optimized, the tube bundles are reassembled in modules in workshop in optimal conditions and then transported to site for assembly in a record time compatible with the normal outage time. This technique can be applied to any steam power station and GEC ALSTHOM Delas has a large experience with turbines of various manufacturers. As an example we want to present the operation carried out in a Finnish power station of the VVER 440 type: optimization studies, techno-economical choices, site operations, results of the performance tests, experience feedback. (author). 7 tabs.,