Hallam, Operating Experience
1964 film, with transcript
Catalog description: This describes the operation of the 79-megawatt electric Hallam Nuclear Power Facility which is powered by a 252-megawatt sodium-graphite reactor. Demonstrates Hallam's heat transfer cycle and plant operation features, including fuel transfer and sodium handling.
This is film 88207 in our catalog.
Show transcript
| 00:25 | The Hallam Nuclear Power Facility is located in the central United States near the town |
| 00:31 | of Hallam in the state of Nebraska. |
| 00:37 | The most advanced utility nuclear power plant in the nation, it was built by the Atomic |
| 00:41 | Energy Commission and the Consumers Public Power District of Nebraska. |
| 00:50 | TALEM is operated by consumers under the Atomic Energy Commission Power Demonstration Reactor |
| 00:55 | program. |
| 00:57 | At 252,000 thermal kilowatts, its sodium graphite reactor produces 79,400 net kilowatts of electricity. |
| 01:17 | The feasibility of the sodium-graphite concept was established by the Sodium Reactor Experiment |
| 01:23 | built and operated since 1957 near Los Angeles, California by Atomics International for the |
| 01:29 | Atomic Energy Commission. |
| 01:34 | As a result of experience gained from Sodium Reactor Experiment operation, Atomics International |
| 01:40 | was assigned overall technical responsibility for the design of Hallam, the first central |
| 01:46 | station sodium graphite reactor plant. |
| 01:53 | The core of the Hallam reactor is contained in a stainless steel tank. |
| 01:59 | Metallic uranium alloy fuel contained in clusters of stainless steel tubes is |
| 02:05 | suspended in the core. Stainless steel clad graphite moderator elements |
| 02:11 | surround the fuel elements. Liquid sodium serves as the coolant and heat transfer |
| 02:21 | medium. From the bottom of the reactor vessel, the sodium flows up past the hot |
| 02:28 | fuel elements to an upper pool, then out of the vessel at a temperature of |
| 02:33 | approximately 950 degrees Fahrenheit. The primary sodium coolant becomes |
| 02:41 | radioactive during its passage through the core. This radioactive sodium is |
| 02:48 | pumped through three identical primary loops to intermediate heat exchangers |
| 02:53 | and returned to the reactor vessel at approximately 600 degrees Fahrenheit to |
| 02:59 | repeat the cycle. The heat carried by the sodium in the primary loop is transferred |
| 03:09 | by the intermediate heat exchangers to the three secondary sodium loops which |
| 03:14 | are non-radioactive. The heat from the secondary non-radioactive loops is fed |
| 03:21 | to three steam generators producing steam to turn the conventional turbine |
| 03:26 | generator. In January 1962, the reactor was placed in operation for the first |
| 03:37 | time in dry critical low-power tests. Wet critical and low-power tests were |
| 03:46 | started in August 1962. Reliability of the control and safety equipment was |
| 03:55 | determined and verified with each increase in power. In May 1963 electricity |
| 04:03 | produced by the Hallam nuclear power facility began flowing through power |
| 04:07 | lines. Operation of the nuclear plant has been smooth responsive and reliable. The |
| 04:20 | plant follows load automatically. Outstanding heat transfer characteristics of sodium coolant |
| 04:27 | make the sodium graphite concept particularly suitable to follow rapid load swings. |
| 04:35 | Steam turbine inlet conditions of 850 degrees Fahrenheit and 850 PSIG, |
| 04:43 | highest temperature of any electric utility nuclear plant, remain essentially constant at |
| 04:48 | all loads above 25 percent of full power. During a typical three months of commercial |
| 04:56 | operation, more than 100 million kilowatt hours of electricity were generated by the |
| 05:01 | nuclear facility, with the plant availability of over 99 percent. Fuel is transferred by |
| 05:08 | Fuel is transferred by a 250-ton handling machine. |
| 05:15 | A fuel element can be replaced without cool down in a matter of a few hours. |
| 05:26 | The reactor is presently fueled with 140 metallic uranium molybdenum elements and 10 uranium |
| 05:33 | carbide elements. |
| 05:37 | carbide elements have been irradiated in the sodium reactor experiment and Hallam. |
| 05:44 | Indications are that uranium carbide fuel will attain long life and low fuel |
| 05:49 | costs. The Hallam second core loading will be all uranium carbide fuel. |
| 06:01 | Operation and maintenance of Hallam sodium systems has been simple and |
| 06:05 | straightforward. The sodium has been handled as safely and efficiently as any |
| 06:13 | common industrial liquid. The entire Hallam nuclear power facility has been |
| 06:21 | reliable and stable. As a result, more advanced sodium graphite nuclear plants |
| 06:28 | of larger capacity and higher efficiency have been designed and are ready for |
| 06:33 | construction to assist in serving the growing power demands of the United States. |