Using ‘Big Carl’ to lift 500-tonne component was an innovation for Unit 2 at UK nuclear project
The second reactor pressure vessel (RPV) has been lifted into place by the world’s largest crane at the Hinkley Point C nuclear site in southwest England.
Hinkley Point C said the “Big Carl” crane had lifted the 500-tonne RPV into place before its precision installation inside the reactor building.
Using Big Carl to lift the RPV was an innovation for Unit 2 and another example of the project finding ways to improve performance between Units 1 and 2. The RPV for Unit 1 was lifted using a large temporary overhead lifting system. The new method saved space, time and money, Hinkley Point C said.
Once inside the reactor building, the 13-metre-long RPV was lifted and rotated into a vertical position by the large internal “polar” crane and lowered carefully onto a support ring with just 40mm clearance on either side.
The two-day lifting and installation operation began on Thursday morning and was completed at around 16:40 on Friday 29 May.
The RPV was manufactured at Framatome’s Saint Marcel factory in France before being shipped to the construction site in January this year.
Big Carl is the Sarens SGC-250. Hinkley Point C said it is officially the world’s largest land-based crane at over 250 metres high in its tallest setup and capable of lifting up to 5,000 tonnes.
The installation comes less than 12 months after the huge steel dome was lifted into place to close the second reactor building.
Hinkley Point C said Hinkley Point C-2 is being built 20-30% more quickly than Hinkley Point C-1, thanks to innovation and experience of building an identical design with the same teams.
The Unit 2 reactor building is further ahead than at the same stage for Unit 1, with more equipment installed, as well as more structural steel work and the outer containment layer already in place. For example, three large heat exchangers have been installed in Unit 2, compared with none at the same point on Unit 1.
Experience Set To Benefit Sizewell C Project
These advantages and innovations will benefit the planned construction of two planned units at Sizewell C “from the start”, Hinkley Point C said.
Both Hinkley Point C units are 1,630-MW EPR plants supplied by France’s state power company EDF. Sizewell C, in southeast England, will also have two EPRs.
The RPV uses nuclear fission to make heat and steam for the world’s largest turbines.
Together, the two reactors will power six million homes around the clock with reliable, low-carbon electricity, cutting the country’s reliance on imported fossil fuels.
Simon Parsons, Hinkley Point C’s delivery director, said: “This marks a tremendous achievement by the entire team and one that has taken months of planning and close coordination between the 10 main contractors involved. We’ve also seen strong innovation to achieve not just a ‘cut and paste’ from the first reactor’s installation, but using our experience to save time, money and disruption to the site.
“Importantly, we are also applying those lessons to put Unit 2 well ahead of the first unit’s position at the equivalent stage, with more materials in place and more work achieved.”
Construction of Hinkley Point C-2 began in December 2019 and of Hinkley Point C-1 in December 2018.
In 2024, EDF said the project had been delayed until 2029 at the earliest, with the cost potentially increasing to as much as £46bn (€53bn, $61.9bn) with the company blaming Covid, Brexit and inflation.
The RPV is positioned onto a support ring inside the reactor building. Courtesy Hinkley Point C.
