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Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
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NRC approves V.C. Summer’s second license renewal
Dominion Energy’s V.C. Summer nuclear power plant, in Jenkinsville, S.C., has been authorized to operate for 80 years, until August 2062, following the renewal of its operating license by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a second time.
Michael S. McGough, William E. Austin, George J. Knetl
Nuclear Technology | Volume 87 | Number 3 | November 1989 | Pages 648-659
Technical Paper | TMI-2: Remote Technology and Engineering / Nuclear Safety | doi.org/10.13182/NT89-A27717
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The lower core support assembly (LCSA) of the Three Mile Island Unit 2 reactor was not structurally damaged during the accident. In order to permit defueling of that region of the core, the LCSA was cut to permit access. A five-axis teleoperator was developed to deliver plasma cutting, rotary grinding, and abrasive water-jetting end effectors to the LCSA. In addition, the automated cutting equipment system (ACES) manipulator and plasma system were used for vertical sectioning of the baffle plates. The ACES and the end effectors were designed, fabricated, tested, and implemented in the field by PCI Energy Services. Complex geometry sectioning was completed in a mock-up facility at chemistry and pressure conditions simulating those of the vessel, prior to actual in-vessel operations. In-vessel activities began in early May of 1988 and were completed on April 11, 1989.