Colin Elcoate
Dr. Colin Elcoate is Vice President,
Business Development for Power in
SPX’s thriving Power and Energy end
market. He has a 1st class honours
degree and a PhD
in mechanical
engineering from
Cardiff University,
U.K., and over 20
years of experience
working in the
nuclear power
industry. His
industrial experience
spans a career that
started at Rolls-
Royce Aerospace
before joining
Frazer-Nash
Consultancy where
he became the
Nuclear Business
Unit Manager. Colin joined ClydeUnion
Pumps in 2010. His considerable
experience and expertise have been
used to spearhead and grow its nuclear
business activities. SPX is committed
to supporting the future of the nuclear
power industry and believes it is a vital
factor in securing sustainable, resilient
power for the future. As a well-respected
expert in the power industry, Colin
now heads up business development
for SPX’s Power business, directing
and developing a wide portfolio of
solutions to enhance safety, efficiency,
sustainability and reliability in all areas
of power generation.
Responses to questions by Newal
Agnihotri, Editor of Nuclear Plant
Journal.
1.
Does SPX have spare pumps, which
may be rushed to replace the existing
pumps, “on demand” at the plants?
Yes, that is possible, but it is
dependent on the nature of our customer
contract. Stocking sparepumps is oftennot
a viable option due to cost and specificity
(low volumes, non-repeatability) so
SPX works closely with its customers to
ensure that they have strategic spares to
manage their plant effectively. Obviously
shutdowns are commercially undesirable
and the cost and lead time of all spares
needs to be balanced according to the risk
to plant operations.
Fundamentally there are three
spares strategies that we discuss with
our customers depending on the specific
application:
•
Keep
low
level spares for pump
maintenance
when
the pump is opened
for scheduled service.
•
Keep stocks
of all long lead-time
parts such as shafts
and impellers. It
should be remem-
bered that if a prob-
lem occurs provision
of the part could take
several months.
•
Hold a com-
plete spare pump and
long delivery spares
in stock. This would enable a direct
exchange of the pump, which is usu-
ally accomplished around three days
to one week. The damaged pump
could then be repaired within one
month and any long lead delivery
spares could be reordered to replen-
ish spares holding.
Whichever strategy is selected,
SPX supports its pumps throughout
their lifetime and works closely with its
customers to ensure it has the spares it
needs to minimize the risk and length of
any unscheduled shutdown.
2.
How is the challenge of obsolescence
handled, where a safety-related pump
manufacturer is out of business?
Obsolescence is a real challenge and
a big focus for many of our large plant
operators.SPXtakestheviewthatanuclear
pump remains serviceable throughout its
lifetime. The only factor that may change
with age is the complexity of repair. If
a pump component is manufactured by
SPX, then that component will be made
again if required. The greater challenge
is usually obtaining parts from the rest of
the supply chain.
Standard, commercial grade parts
are not purchased against customized
specifications. Such products naturally
get upgraded as technology advances
every few years, so after 10 years, for
example, the part may have changed.With
a nuclear qualified application, however,
everything must remain identical to
guarantee the original qualification for
normal and abnormal operation as per the
original specification and an equivalent
part sourced or the upgraded part qualified
as part of the installation.
SPX has many pumps in nuclear
service around the world that are around
25 or 30 years old. Times have changed;
when these pumps were first produced
strategic spares were focused on the
pump itself and not on the components
associated with the pump, such as gear
boxes, lubrication circuit, couplings. If
a replacement component is not stocked
then SPX investigates and locates a
replacement. Sometimes an identical
component from another manufacturer
may be sourced but the impact of change
needs to be assessed. SPX conducts
a series of calculations and tests that
ratify the established test procedures to
ensure that the system still complies with
the original qualification and is able to
endure specified accidental and seismic
conditions. Of course SPX advises
operators as soon as it is aware of any
obsolescence issues from the supply
chain and assists in reviewing spares
usage to facilitate any strategic “last
time” purchases for the plant lifetime.
SPX has a long heritage in the supply
of nuclear pumps. It has experienced
teams that help operators manage any
obsolescence or changes required due to
shifting process conditions. SPX is totally
committed to supporting their pumps
ensuring reliable and safe operation
throughout the plant lifetime.
3.
Does SPX provide any service for
doing “physical check-ups” of pumps
and motors, including preventative
maintenance, during refueling outage?
SPX does perform physical checks
on its pumps but these are usually
38
NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, May-June 2015
Meeting
Pump
Repair
Challenges
By Colin Elcoate, SPX Power and
Energy.
