Starting with the very first commercial Nuclear reactor built in Shippingport, Pennsylvania in 1957, Nuclear Lubrite® bearings have been used in most nuclear facilities worldwide. Engineers can’t take chances when designing a nuclear plant and as a result they rely on Lubrite® Nuclear high compression bearings. These bearings are specifically designed to accommodate the harsh conditions found in a nuclear plant and have been fully tested at major independent laboratories. Nuclear Lubrite® is a composite high compression bearing, a metal base combined with specifically formulated AE series of dry lubricants, which is designed to withstand the rigors of a nuclear environment. Nuclear applications include reactor supports, steam generator supports, missile barriers, blast doors, pump and equipment supports, fuel transfer systems, valves and torus supports.
When a major public utility decide to replace the steam dryer in the reactor pressure vessel of it boiling water reactor, they faced a significant engineering challenge. The replacement steam dryer was to undergo final assembly on the utility’s refueling floor. During this time, the mammoth reactor pressure vessel needed to seismically isolated from the refueling floor. This challenge was compounded by a compressed construction schedule which demanded that a solution be in place at the utility within 45 days.
Lubrite® engineers took up this challenge and developed large custom sliding bearings that met all the customer’s criteria. Due to Lubrite’s® large CNC machining capabilities, these eight large 4,000 pound bearing assemblies were fabricated and delivered to site, so that the project could proceed on schedule.
Let Lubrite® tackle your next big structural challenge! For further information about this or other nuclear projects, please contact us directly.