Electrical Monitor
 

NPCIL to restore burnt transformer at Madras plant

EM News BureauMonday, June 17, 2013, 17:55 Hrs  [IST]

An unused transformer destined for war-torn Syria but which was never shipped might be repurposed for domestic use. The BHEL-built transformer, now with some modifications, is likely to be deployed at Nuclear Power Corporation of India’s Madras atomic power station in the coming weeks.

It may be recalled that a 30-year old transformer at Unit 2 of Madras atomic power station caught fire resulting in a complete shutdown of the 220-mw unit effective April 15. This transformer that was also supplied by BHEL is based on a model no longer in production. The cost of this transformer including its shipment from BHEL’s Jhansi unit in Uttar Pradesh would be around Rs.15 crore. If all goes as per schedule, the transformer should be operational by June-end, reports suggest.

On the morning of April 15, when the reactor was operating at 110 mw, the unit tripped due to a fault in the generator transformer's high voltage bushing and the reactor was shut down. The unit was restarted prior to that after a 40-day maintenance shutdown. Due to the generator transformer failure, the reactor turbine stopped and the reactor was gradually shut down, reports suggest. The first unit of the 2x220-mw plant is however operating normally and is feeding round 170 mw to the grid.

 
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