Installation of Valvtechnologies Ball Valves in Severe Service Applications Within the Advanced Test Reactor

The Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) located at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory, is the most powerful test reactor operating in the United States rated at a design power of 250 MW(t). Operating cycles are nominally seven per year with outages that last 7 to 14 days, allowing time for routine plant maintenance and experiment insertions and manipulations. While the ATR pressurized water loops can operate at the same temperature and pressure requirements of a pressurized water reactor, the loops also have the ability to operate at higher conditions. Hence, it is critical to ensure that when component replacements are called for, they can meet or exceed design requirements of a typical power reactor, while continuing to satisfy the design requirements of the ATR experiment loops.