Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant

Indian Point - New York City

The Indian Point site in Buchanan, New York has 2 operating Westinghouse PWR units and 1 shutdown unit. Unit 2 is owned/operated by Consolidated Edison, the original owner of the site. Unit 3 is owned/operated by the New York Power Authority. These units, rated at ~1000 MWe, have operated from the mid-70's. Consolidated Edison was one of the first utilities to purchase their own simulator for training the reactor operators and supervisors licensed by the US NRC. Unit 1, rated at 250 MWe, was one of the early PWR reactors. It operated from 1962 to 1974.

Photo courtesy EPRI

A number of simplified diagrams illustrate the the design of this pressurized water reactor plant (courtesy Westinghouse). These can help in understanding the summary of the recent steam generator tube rupture event also provided on this site.

In each reactor, 193 fuel assemblies of the 15 x15 design are used with 204 fuel rods per assembly. The containment is a large steel structure rated at 47 psi pressure.Each reactor coolant loop has 1 U-tube vertical steam generator and 1 reactor coolant pump. Each unit has a pressurizer connected to one of the 4 loops. Normal makeup water is provided by 1 of 3 Chemical and Volume Control System positive displacement charging pumps rated at 98 gpm and 2510 psi.

On the non-radioactive secondary side of the steam generators, condensate-feedwater is supplied by 3 condensate pumps (190 psi), 3 condensate booster pumps (415 psi), and 2 turbine-driven feedwater pumps which move the water from the condenser to the steam generators. Pressure and temperature are raised from vacuum and 90F to 1100 psi and 425 F.

Emergency equipment for each unit include:

2 Low head safety injection (Residual Heat Removal) pumps
2 Low head recirculation pumps
2 Intermediate head safety injection pumps supplied first from one of the 8000 gallon Boric Acid Makeup Tanks, and then from the 390,000 gallon Refueling Water Storage Tank.
1 Accumulator containing 10,000 gallons and pressurized to about 750 psi is connected to each reactor coolant loop.
2 motor-driven and 1 turbine-driven Emergency Feedwater pumps supplied from a 600,000 gallon Condensate Storage Tank and a 1,500,000 gallons City Water Storage Tank.
3 Diesel generators (only 2 needed) for each unit.

For detailed information, refer to the NRC Plant Information Books for Indian Point 2, 3