From Cleaning to Consultation, Chemistry Services Provides Complete Solutions
Page 3 of 3

BOP Chemical Cleanings
The movement into chemical cleanings of balance-of-plant components like condensers is a growing area for FTI. FTI has conducted five condenser cleanings this year, three with sulfuric acid and two with Ferroquest, and has three more potential sulfuric acid cleanings in 2000. “The condenser cleanings can be done with various chemicals depending on the needs of the customer,” said England.

The five condenser cleanings all took place at Commonwealth Edison plants—two each at Braidwood and Lasalle, and one at Dresden.

“The FTI condenser cleanings were well-engineered, very well proceduralized and a real success for us at our plants,” said John Petro, Manager of Environmental and Rad Waste at Commonwealth Edison.

“Clearly the Braidwood job was a first-of-a-kind condenser cleaning, since the unit was on line and the turbine was on line while the cleaning was occurring,” said Petro.

Chemistry Consultation
As part of its family of services, FTI provides a full turnkey steam generator chemical cleaning service, including mobile liquid waste processing for transport and disposal. In addition, FTI offers a post accident sampling and analysis program, ammonia removal systems, portable membrane separation technologies, a quick and easy consumable materials cooperative database, mobile waste processing equipment and services and portable evaporator systems.

FTI also is a leader in chemistry consultation for plants including optimum water treatment and advanced corrosion control. “We have chemical consultants that are recognized industry experts. They provide our customers the ability to evaluate their needs with a clear focus on the top tier of chemistry control,” said Larry Lamanna, FTI’s Manager of Process Engineering.

A good example of how this expertise can help is in evaluating iron transport to steam generators. Evaluation and subsequent control methods have resulted in lowering iron transport levels at most operating B&W designed plants to as low as less than 1 ppb. This chemistry expertise, originally pioneered by FTI personnel at B&W plants, is now being applied to other plants. FTI’s chemistry department can offer insight into all aspects of plant chemistry data, and provide tools to minimize corrosion transport, optimize pH, reduce chemical inventory and increase plant thermal efficiency, reduce resin costs and receive real-time feedback.

Lab & Testing Services
FTI also offers diverse chemistry and environmental laboratory and testing services. Framatome Technologies established its own Chemistry Services laboratory and testing facility last year to provide services to both internal and external customers. The lab analyzes radioactive and nonradioactive samples and material and its testing services include ambient to high temperature materials compatibility, consumer materials application, chemical process qualifications and ion exchange resin kinetics.

“We have the background not just for testing and analysis but also for an in-depth assessment of results and making recommendations to customers,” said Merl Bell, FTI Advisory Engineer. “For instance, we are able to test resin in our lab, using variables that are appropriate to the environment that a site is experiencing, then make recommendations to the customer based on lab testing to resolve their problem in the field.” The lab staff includes experts in power plant system and process chemistry, corrosion, materials selection and compatibility.

In addition, the lab and staff are able to focus on variables particular to the nuclear industry. “We are in the process of doing tests on some Styrofoam used as a concrete form during the building of a plant and then left in place,” said Larry Lamanna. “We’re doing the testing needed for the site to evaluate the effects of a Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA). With our expertise in the nuclear business we can put together the correct set of variables to make sure the test simulates the actual environment and provides the customer with the data needed to perform the LOCA assessment.”

“Having our own lab and test facility allows us to be more responsive to internal and external customers,” said Lamanna. “For instance, we had a set of 550 heat exchanger sleeves that needed to be oxidized in a hurry over Thanksgiving for an upcoming job in Asia,” he said. “We were able to turn them around in short order because we have our own lab. We certainly couldn’t have met the deadline by sending them out.”

Preventive Maintenance
An emerging project for all of Chemistry Services is Preventive Maintenance Cleaning (PMC).

“We are working with our partners from BetzDearborn to develop this program,” said Bell. “Since plants have now done complete chemical cleanings, the PMC would be done in addition to sludge lancing for a partial cleaning, perhaps every other outage. There would be much less impact than a total cleaning on the plant, so maintenance cleaning could be done on a more regular basis.”

The PMC program involves many different aspects of the department, since it will be a move toward maintenance that could prevent the need for large-scale cleanings, which has traditionally been a large part of Chemistry Services business.

“Ultimately we hope to move the department toward proactive preventive chemistry, as our nuclear industry continues to mature,” said England.