First milestone reached for the renovation of the electrochlorination facilities of the nuclear power plant of a major French player
June 01st 2023
Seduced by its solid experience of more than 30 years in the supply of electrochlorination systems, one of the major players in the French nuclear industry called on John Cockerill to renovate the electrochlorination installations of two of its French nuclear power plants (8 units) located near the North Sea.
It is in this context that the client entrusted John Cockerill with the studies, design, and construction (supply, assembly and works) on site of all the electrochlorination installations, including the sea water filtration system, the electrochlorinator, the hydrogen dilution system, the distribution system, the transformer-rectifier and the associated services, all while being fully compliant with the ATEX regulations requirements.
It is with great pride that our teams have reached the final acceptance milestone for the first of the eight units concerned by this project. A first success for the Temporary Company Grouping formed by the French entities of the Environment Sector, John Cockerill Proserpol in Guyancourt, specialized in the treatment of liquid effluents and electrochlorination, and of the Services Business, John Cockerill Services Muon in Ennery, expert in nuclear power plants, who managed the JV, as well as the mechanical assembly, including the installation and connection of equipment, FRP (composite fiberglass), steel, stainless steel and thermoplastic pipes. The achievement of this milestone confirms the compliance of the installation with the client’s specifications, including a production capacity of 192 kg Cl/h thanks to John Cockerill Environment’s innovative seawater electrolysis solution, E-ChloPure®.
The water needed to supply and cool the reactor circuits is drawn from the English Channel. After safety filtering, the water is treated by the E-ChloPure® electrochlorination system, which aims to eliminate biofouling and inhibit microbial growth to keep the pipes from getting soiled and prevent their progressive obstruction.
A proven and economic solution. The sodium hypochlorite to prevent biofouling, is automatically produced by our E-ChloPure® electrolysis system. The benefits of this technology are numerous. It optimizes chlorine injections (sometimes sequential) in seawater circuits, without loss of efficiency. It also makes it possible to avoid the transport and storage of large volumes of bleach, which is regularly subject to supply tensions, and which deteriorates, particularly under the effect of heat. Finally, our E-ChloPure® design does not require the injection of acid for descaling the electrodes, washing being carried out automatically with compressed air, thus significantly increasing the longevity of the installation and its equipment.
Ideal for coastal industrial sites aiming at the optimal production of chlorine by electrolysis of seawater, E-ChloPure® is a reliable and profitable solution that is resolutely turned towards the future, fully illustrating John Cockerill’s commitment in favor of responsible production.