Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant - California
The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, owned and operated by Pacific Gas & Electric, has 2 Westinghouse 4 Loop Pressurized Water Reactors, each rated at 1000 MWe. The 2 units followed on the experience (1963 - 1976) gained from operating PG&E's initial 63 MWe unit 3 at Humboldt Bay, near Eureka. Construction for the 2 units started in 1968 and 1970. However, regulatory and intervention legal hurdles delayed the units from going commercial until 1985 (Unit 1) and 1986 (Unit 2).
Courtesy Ken Weber
A number of simplified diagrams illustrating the design of this pressurized water reactor plant (courtesy Westinghouse) are provided on the PWR Cycle page.
Each reactor has193 fuel assemblies of the 17x17 design with 264 fuel rods per assembly. The containment is a large steel structure rated at 47 psi pressure. Each reactor coolant loop has 1 U-tube vertical steam generator (with over 3000 tubes) and 1 reactor coolant pump. Each unit has a pressurizer connected to one of the 4 loops. Normal makeup water is provided by 1 of 3 Chemical and Volume Control System charging pumps. A smaller positive displacement pump is rated at 98 gpm and 2510 psi. The 2 centrifugal charging pumps, each rated at 150 gpm and 2510 psi double as the emergency high head safety injection system pumps. Their shutoff head is 2565 psi.
On the non-radioactive secondary side of the steam generators, condensate-feedwater is supplied by 3 condensate pumps (190 psi), 3 condensate booster pumps (415 psi), and 2 turbine-driven feedwater pumps which move the water from the condenser to the steam generators. Pressure and temperature are raised from vacuum and 90F to 1100 psi and 425 F.
Emergency equipment for each unit include:
Emergency water sources include:
See the US plant address, plants, and map pages for more information.
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