Dungeness Nuclear Pouer Station

**Dungeness nuclear pouer station** may refer tae owther ane or baith o a pair o nuclear pouer stations, anerly ane o whilk is still operational, locate on the Dungeness heidland in the sooth o Kent, Ingland.

## Dungeness A
**Dungeness A** is a legacy Magnox pouer station that wis conneckit tae the National Grid in 1965 an haes reakit the end o its life. It possessed twa nuclear reactors producin 219 MW o electricity ilkane, wi a total capacity o 438 MW. The construction wis unnertaen bi a consortium kent as the Nuclear Power Group ('TNPG'). The reactors wis supplied bi TNPG an the turbines bi C. A. Parsons & Co.

## Dungeness B
**Dungeness B** is an Advanced Gas-cuiled Reactor (AGR) pouer station consistin o twa 615 MW reactors, whilk begoud operation in 1983 an 1985 respectively. Dungeness B wis the first commercial scale AGR pouer station tae be construckit. Its design wis based on the fair weeer Windscale AGR prototype: the WAGR. The £89 million contract wis awairdit in August 1965 tae Atomic Power Construction ('APC'), a consortium backit by Crompton Parkinson, Fairey Aviation Company, International Combustion an Richardsons Westgarth & Company. The completion date wis set as 1970.

Durin construction, mony problems wis encoontert in scalin up the WAGR design. Problems wi the construction o the pressure vessel liner haed distorted it, so that the boilers, whilk wis tae fit in an annular space atween the reactor an the pressure vessel, cudnae be installed, an the liner haed tae be partially dismantlet an rebiggit. This wark anerly cost aboot £200,000, but there wis a wappin cost o financin, for an extra 18 wanproductive month, a pouer station costin aroon £100 million, some 60% o whilk wis awready on the grun. Serious problems wis forby diskivert wi the design o the boilers, at haed tae wistaun the poondin o het caurbon dioxide (CO2), pressurised tae 600 punds per square inch (4.1 megapascals) an pumpit aroon the reactor coolant circuit bi massive gas circulators, an the casins, hangers an tube uphauds aw haed tae be redesignt. The cost o thae modifications, an financin durin the delays, caused severe financial pressures fur the consortium an its backers, an in 1969 APC collapsed in tae administration.

The Central Electricity Generating Board taen ower project management, imposed licht penalties fur tae nae cripple Fairey an International Combustion, an appyntit British Nuclear Design and Construction (BNDC) as main contractor. In 1971, problems wi corrosion o mild steel components in the first generation Magnox reactors gied the designers cause for concern. The Dungeness B restraint couplins - mechanical linkages that held the graphite core in place whilst allouin it tae expan an contrack as a repone tae temperature chynges - wis made o mild steel an cud be subject tae the same corrosion. It was decided tae replace thaim wi components made frae a new material. In 1972, problems wis fun wi the galvanised wire that wis uised tae attach thermocouples tae stainless steel boiler tubes. Durin heat treatment o the tubes at temperatures up tae 1,050&nbsp;°C, the galvanising zinc diffused in tae the tubes an made them brittle. The cost haed by then risen tae £170&nbsp;million. By 1975, the CEGB was reportin that the power station would not be completit until 1977 an that its cost had risen tae £280 million. By 1979, the cost haed risen faurer tae £410 million. Reactor 1 first generated pouer on 3 April 1983, some 13 year ahint schedule an at a cost o £685 million, four times the initial estimate in inflation-adjusted terms.

Like the "A" station, its turbines wis biggit bi C.A. Parsons & Company an it haes twa 600 MWe turbo-alternator sets, producin a maximum ootpit o 1200 MWe, though net output is 1090 MWe aifter the eftercasts o hoose laid, an dounratin the reactor ootpit due tae corrosion an vibration concerns.

In Mairch 2009, Unit B21 wis brocht doon for maintenance. Serious problems wis fun an the reactor wis shut doon for awmaist 18 month. On the 24t November 2009, a wee fire in the boiler annexe o Unit B22 caused the seicont reactor tae be shut doon an aa. Subsequently, Unit B22 haes been intermittently shut doon for up tae several month at a time. Unit B21 wis restairtit in August 2010. Unplanned shutdowns continued into 2011, wi B21 doun fur repairs frae November 2011 til Mairch 2012.

In 2005, the station's accoontin closure date wis 2018, 35 year aifter first pouer generation. In 2015, the plant wis gien a ten-year life extension, wi an upgrade tae control room computer systems an impruived fluid defences, takkin the accoontin closure date to 2028.

## References