Browns Ferry and the fight against eelgrass

[Marlin]

Browns Ferry and the fight against eelgrass

https://www.ans.org/news/article-8413/browns-ferry-and-the-fight-against-eelgrass/

[Core Content]

In 2020, an influx of invasive eelgrass clogged the cooling water intake at the Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama. The blockage forced two reactor shutdowns and a power reduction on a third unit. Plant operators subsequently installed an automated raking trash rack system to prevent similar disruptions.

Aquatic vegetation poses a continuous challenge for nuclear facilities relying on open bodies of water for condenser cooling. Because eelgrass possesses neutral buoyancy, standard surface skimmers and bottom scrapers failed to capture the weed before it reached traveling water screens. The custom vertical raking mechanism improves debris removal efficiency, protecting condenser vacuums across the three-unit site.

Opportunities to improve maintenance efficiency can arise unexpectedly at nuclear power plants.

At Browns Ferry in Athens, Ala., one opportunity arose when an unexpected surge of nonnative eelgrass in the Tennessee River clogged the cooling water intake, prompting the shutdown of two reactors and the derating of a third to about 78 percent power. Power plant engineers said the single surge reportedly cost the Tennessee Valley Authority about $15 million–$20 million in revenue. A 2026 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency said the same incident resulted in a production loss of...

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/article-8413/browns-ferry-and-the-fight-against-eelgrass/