EDF – Milestone reached in Hunterston B R4 Return to Service

01/03/2019

Last week EDF reached a major milestone towards returning HNB R4 to service through the issue of
the final technical references to support the return to service safety case. SNC-Lavalin Atkins have
been integral in reaching this position.

Inspection of the HNB R3 graphite core in March 2018 indicated that cracking of the graphite core
may have exceeded the existing Operational Allowance (OA) of 350 fuel bricks with axial cracks, and
R3 remains shut down whilst a revised safety case is developed. The extent of cracking identified at
R3 raised the potential for R4 to also exceed its OA. In October 2018, R4 was shut down in order to
allow a graphite core inspection to be performed. The HNB R4 safety case justifies the return to
service of R4 and continued operation for ~4 months, the intention being that this will be superseded
by a separate R4 operational safety case during this period.

In the short term, R4 has yet to be returned to service, but EDF have recognised the massive effort
put in to get to this stage under significant time pressures. Special mention to:

 Iain Martin and Tom Dowson who are producing and verifying the RTS safety case.
 Pete Collett and Jack Fleet who produced and verified the GCORE Seismic Assessment
demonstrating tolerance to large numbers of Multiply axially Cracked Bricks (MCBs), which
represented the final technical reference for the safety case.  Whilst not a final validated
update to the GCORE model, the addition of a suitably representative method of modelling
MCBs was crucial to the safety case.
 The many, many other SNC-Lavalin Atkins staff who have been involved directly or indirectly
in the work on both HNB R3 and R4 to date, working within the GCORE team and the
Graphite Branch in EDF.

Message of thanks from Sue Walker (Graphite Branch Manager) passed on to the wider team by Alan
Steer (seismic RE):

“I understand that all of the technical references for HNB R4 are now issued, this is a major milestone
for the business. Well done!

On a more personal level I’d like to thank you all and let you know how proud I am of the team for
doing such a great job and delivering such a massive volume of complex work.

I know that some of you have worked long hours, given up time with your families and been frustrated
by the iterative nature of developing an acceptable safety case.  The result of that hard work is still to
fully materialise when the unit kicks out its first MW but the team should bank this now and give
yourselves a resounding pat on the back, your work is done!

You are a brilliant team facing the most complex technical challenge ever presented by the AGRs,
thanks for the dedication and well done once again.”

If you would like to know more about our GCORE team, and the interesting and highly complex work
we do in this area, please talk to Jon Gittoes or David Pitt