The First Asian Company Chosen for TIP Awards
A project to replace thermal shock buffer tubes for reactor heads at Hanul Power Plant 1 was recently selected for the Top Innovation Practice (TIP) Award of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) said on June 9.
The NEI gives the TIP Awards to member companies that have contributed to improving nuclear safety and business processes through innovative technologies or ideas. This is the first time that an Asian member company's project has been selected for the TIP Award since NEI was established in 1994.
During the planned preventive maintenance period in 2020, Hanul Power Plant 1 carried out a reactor head thermal shock buffer tube replacement project for two nuclear reactors. KHNP applied an innovative work method that did not include welding and processing, boosting safety and cutting costs. A thermal shock buffer tube is a major accessory to nuclear reactors that prevents damage to welded spots of their head penetration tubes caused by thermal shocks.
Meanwhile, KHNP recently took home the Grand Prize in the sustainability management report category of the 2019-20 LACP Vision Awards hosted by the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP), the world's most prestigious marketing organization.