TWTexans visit South Texas Project Nuclear Power Plant

[jfink]

We had originally scheduled the trip for Tuesday, July 24th but due to unforeseeable circumstances at the South Texas Nuclear Power Plant, the trip was rescheduled for Thursday, July 26th. For this reason, some who thought they could join us on the 24th could not make it on the 26th. This was actually a two edged sword, sorry for those who could not make it, but for those of us who did, we actually got a more in depth tour. For future reference if you keep the group around 5 or 6 it is easier for the walking tour, but make sure you ask for the walking tour, there is information you will need to provide.

Those of us who made it were: Rob (Rydah), Jeff (jmn), Jay (jbird710), Chuck(cthrall) and me (Joe, jfink).

Sheila Davis, the PR Manager for STP, was very gracious and flexible and somehow, working her magic, rescheduled our visit for a "walking" tour instead of the planned "driving" tour. Sorry for the photo Sheila, a lot of my camera phone pictures didn't turn out. The only one of you that really turned out was this one. Sheila is generally VERY quiet and demure, seldom speaking and very deep in thought (right! ). Sheila was a hoot, it is worth the tour to just listen to Sheila!

Reactors one and two. We toured train 2.

The TWTex group (without me), in the Machine Shop. Left to Right; Rob, Sheila, Chuck, Jim and Jay. I took a number of pictures in the machine shop, but they just didn't turn out.

A collage of Train one from the roof of Train two. Left to right, Reactor -> Turbine (little blue boxes) -> Water Deaerator -> service cranes. Check out the size of the facility, compared to the full sized tanker truck in the parking lot. That parking lot is where the picture was taking below of the Backup Diesels.

The next couple are photos just begging for captions:

Here are Jay, Rob, Sheila and Chuck in front of Backup Power Diesels, three for each train.

The STP is generally a fun loving, playful place but even they have their limits. Never did find out who "Miles" was or what he did to deserve his own sign.

I found the color coding of the various liquid lines in the plant interesting.

Here is some of the interior process plumbing, but in the interest of time, I will not try to explain how it works

As I understood, there are large and small generators depending on where the steam is generated and how it is to be used. All these generators are actually housed on the roof of the building containing the process piping above. Here is a picture of the building housing the largest turbine.

And here is the payoff, 324KV exiting the plant from Train 2. This is divided and sent to the utility owners of the plant, located in San Antonio, Austin or Houston. The conduits carry the energy to the vertical stanchions, up to the horizontal cables and then to the distribution matrix beyond the erector brace.

We, on the tour, all want to thank Sheila for being such a great host and for the "trinkets" from the plant. Those little spent fuel pellets (example only) you gave us, was a great way to get rid of the nuclear waste without a lot of extra utility costs. Sheila did say if there are others wanting a tour, to please let her know. Contact her at sddavis@STPEGS.COM.

 

[Not Dave]

Thanks Joe. Nice of you to add photos and general descriptions but not novels of what's in the pictures. I have a short attention span. I will in the future be contacting Sheila for a tour.

 

[jfink]

Thanks Joe. Nice of you to add photos and general descriptions but not novels of what's in the pictures. I have a short attention span. I will in the future be contacting Sheila for a tour.

Thanks Dave, I wrote this thinking of you!

 

[primate]

Just to clarify about the "little blue box" the turbine is NOT the dumpster.

I have worked for Austin Energy for 20 years now, most at Decker power plant, not a nuke, but fairly large. Power plants are very interesting places, and far more complexed than you could describe to a laymen. I've wanted to tour STP for a while, and have had opportunity, but it never panned out.

 

[Not Dave]

Thanks Joe, I think.

I've been on a dam tour at Wirtz dam. A friend retired from his dam job at LCRA a few years ago but before then showed me the dam internals, they were in the process of replacing one of the two dam generators (after 50+ years in service).

When I was growing up we used to go camping at San Onofre State Beach in SoCal. The water was warmer up there. Would love to go on a nuke plant tour. I hear the plant at San Onofre has some issues so will stay in TX. Maybe next couple of weeks as I still have Wed-Fri off.

 

[BAN-ONE]

That tour sounds like a really cool opportunity! I used to go to Matagorda on the weekends quite a bit, when I was working in SE Texas. And on the way, would always think it would be a hoot to see what it was like inside that place.

 

[Rman of 237]

Here is some of the interior process plumbing, but in the interest of time, I will not try to explain how it works

Oh by all means, please do! We have all the time in the world. ....
Seriously though, looks like a very interesting tour. I've also been by there many times (looks cool at night) and have always wondered what it looks like up close.