Byron Reactor Trip and Natural Circ Cooldown

by Bob Meyer

Byron station diagnosed a degrading Station Aux Transformer (SAT), tripped the reactor and initiated a natural circ cooldown on Unit 2 at about 10:18 a.m. The crew noted difficulty in certain pump operations. One of the bushings on the trasformer failed and smoke was seen from the SAT but no evidence of a fire was found when the plant's fire brigade responded.

This is the first reactor trip at Byron since 2005. This is the second time in the plants recent history that training immediately preceded an event. The crew on duty had an in-depth reactor trip and natural circulation cooldown just the week before in requalification training. This is a great example of how training protects the company assets.

The Byron Nuclear Generating Station is a nuclear power plant located in Ogle County, Illinois, 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the Rock River. The reactor buildings were constructed by Babcock and Wilcox and house two Westinghouse pressurized water reactors, Unit 1 and Unit 2, which first began operation in September 1985 and August 1987 respectively. The plant was built for Commonwealth Edison and is currently owned and operated by Exelon Corporation.

The plant provides electricity to northern Illinois and the city of Chicago. The station employs about 600 - 700 people and features two 495-foot (150.9 m) cooling towers which often serve as a local landmark. 

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