The customer is a large nuclear power plant in the United States utilizing emergency diesel generator sets (EDG’s) that provide backup power as necessary. The EDGs supply power to critical systems during catastrophic events. The generators ensure power is supplied to the reactor cooling systems, allowing for a safe reactor shutdown if necessary.
The Emergency Diesel Generator 2 began to leak lubricating oil from the discharge pipe. Months later, the Emergency Diesel Generator 1 began to leak oil in the same area. The cracks in both cases were attributed to high cycle fatigue on the piping causing lubricating oil to leak at a rate of 8 gallons per hour. The customer needed a new expansion joint solution to resolve the vibration issues causing these leaks.