NPD reactor
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The Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) Reactor built 3 km east of Rolphton, Ontario supplied the Ontario power grid with the first nuclear-generated electricity in Canada. The reactor was a joint project of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Ontario Hydro and Canadian General Electric. The NPD was the prototype and proving ground for research and development that led to commercial application of the CANDU system for generating electric power from a nuclear plant using natural uranium fuel, heavy water moderator and coolant in a pressure tube configuration with on-power refuelling.
[edit] History
December, 1961, the major construction phase was concluded and system testing was in full swing. Criticality was first attained on April 11, 1962, and first steam of nuclear origin was produced on May 8. The first electrical power was fed to the system on June 4, and on June 28 first full-power generation of 20 MW(e) gross was attained. NPD closed in 1987 after exceeding its operational goals.
The NPD station was located on the west bank of the Ottawa River about 140 miles upstream from the City of Ottawa. It was situated close by the AECL research establishment at Chalk River and the HEPC hydro generating station at Des Joachim, Ontario. It had a maximum continuous output of 22 MW(e), which gave a net station output of 19.5 MW(e).
[edit] Description
The reactor was fueled with 40 000 lb of UO2 in the form of ceramic pellets sheathed in Zircaloy-2 tubes. The fuel was subdivided into nine bundles per channel and for the first time in any reactor, fuel changing was designed to be carried out on power by remotely operated machines which push a fresh bundle in one end of the channel and remove the spent bundle from the other end, a design feature that carried through to the later CANDU products.
The primary role of NPD was as a prototype for CANDU engineering. Over the years it served as a test bed for new fuels, materials, components, and instruments.
Equally important, NPD was the training and simulation center for generations of Canadian and off-shore CANDU operations staff. This role began shortly after the start of operation, when a training program was set up by Ontario Hydro.
