Static structures (e.g. – buildings) – Processes – Requiring soil work
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-11
2001-06-12
Chilcot, Richard (Department: 3635)
Static structures (e.g., buildings)
Processes
Requiring soil work
C052S745050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244015
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of assembling a plant to reduce a term of a plant construction work requiring a high-level technology and high construction expenditures as in the case of a light water cooling type nuclear power plant, or to reduce a periodical plant inspection time during its working period.
RELATED BACKGROUND ART
A construction of a light water cooling type nuclear power plant starts with an excavation down to a base rock, and involves a work of laying out a central mat and an outer peripheral mat thereon, a work of installing a reactor containment concrete vessel (RCCV) and a building outer peripheral structures on the respective mats, a work of subsequently installing a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) into the reactor containment concrete vessel and arranging a pipe system thereto, and a work of installing appliances in the building outer peripheral structure and arranging a pipe system thereto. When these works are finished, a commercial operation begins via a system test, a fuel charge and a start-up test. A term of work extending from the start of constructing the nuclear power plant to the start of the commercial operation may be as long as 60 months (5 years).
By contrast, a construction term of a gas turbine combined power plant may be approximately 36 months (3 years) shorter by approximately 24 months than the 60-months construction term of the nuclear power plant. Further, the nuclear power plant is complicated in terms of system and large of a quantity of the materials, and therefore requires large construction expenditures. Besides, the nuclear power plant adopts such a structure that the foundation is constructed directly on the base rock as a measure against an earthquake, and hence a term of excavation work tends to become long. Therefore, the construction of the nuclear power plant is disadvantageous in terms of an economic aspect because of an interest for the construction expenditures which will be produced for the long period of construction and a loss of profits which might be obtained by implementing a commercial operation. An electric power supplier incapable of raising large initial investment funds has a tendency not to select the nuclear power plant because of the initial construction expenditures being high even if the power production expenditures can be totally reduced due to comparatively low operation expenditures after constructing the nuclear power plant. Such being the case, if the construction term can be decreased, the initial investment funds can be, even if large, returned at an early stage, and therefore a strong desire for constructing the nuclear power plant might be invoked.
In the construction of a skyscraper in recent years, there has been adopted a construction method contrived to reduce the construction term by performing a ground work and an underground work in parallel with increases in size and depth of the underground structure.
With an insight into a decreasing tendency of the working population, there will be, it is predicted, increased a demand for performing the work depending on inexperienced man power, the aged and female laborers. In this case, it is required to introduce such a construction system that a mass production becomes attainable by adopting a belt-conveyor based flow production system for assembling, e.g., an automobile and employing the inexperienced laborers suited to this system. It is also necessary to provide a working environment which is much easier to work with a less proportion of physical labor.
At present, a progress of the semiconductor technology is so fast, and a high-performance microcomputer can be commercially available. The situation is that a system capable of transmitting multi-information including picture information is going to be readily obtained at a low price. In the majority of cases, a construction work or a periodical inspection work of the plant during its operation is carried out in cooperation, and it is of importance in terms of enhancing an work efficiency to share the information. In such a case, it is effective in terms of enhancing the work efficiency to share the picture information because of easily obtaining a recognition about an object to which the attention is paid. It has been difficult technically and in terms of the price to obtain the picture information, however, this obtainment is going to be possible with the progress in the electronic technology in recent years. The technology relative to the picture information is effective in extending a capability of a manager, and it is feasible to proceed the cooperative work among a multiplicity of inexperienced laborers by utilizing this technology, which can further enhance the work efficiency.
At present, there is developed a technology aiming at improving an availability factor by reducing the periodical inspection period of a light water cooling type nuclear power plant, whereby the periodical inspection period having hitherto required 60 days (2 months) or longer is going to be decreased down to approximately 20 days. What constitutes a principal critical path during the periodical inspection period of the reactor system in the nuclear power plant, is a fuel handling work and a control rod driving mechanism handling work. For reducing the terms of these works, a remarkable reduction in the periodical inspection period is attained by performing the works in parallel, conducting the works with an exchange for preparatory parts at a time other than the periodical inspection period and speeding up a handling work machine. Further, a one-day unit working process management having hitherto been adopted is changed to an hour-unit management system, or a 3-shift 24-hours working system is adopted, and the work waiting time is obviated, whereby the reduction in the working time is going to be attained. From now into the future, it is a vital technical matter to enhance the efficiency of the cooperative work between a site work manager, site workers and a crane operator.
When speeding up the fuel handling work and the control rod driving mechanism handling work, a plurality of works are combined to constitute one work, and hence there might arise a necessity for executing a minute- or second-unit time management for the work having hitherto used the hour-unit time management in order to speed up the work. A judgement of the worker and a work of transmitting the information are to be done in between a combination of the plurality of works, and it is therefore an important matter to reduce a time of the worker making the judgement and a time of transmitting the information in the minute- or second-unit time management. Among the work items of the periodical inspection of the reactor system which exclude the fuel handling work and the control rod driving mechanism handling work, the principal work item is a preparation work for installing and removing the work appliances. It is a vital matter to decrease the time of transmitting the information between the workers and the time of making the judgement in this preparation work. In the case of reducing the periodical inspection period by conducting the minute- or second-unit time management, it is required that this inspection period be reduced by supporting the fields relative to the capabilities of the workers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method of assembling a plant, which is capable reducing a term of construction work or a inspection period of a large-size plant such as a light water cooling type nuclear power plant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of assembling a plant, which is capable of synthetically managing a construction work or an inspection of the large-size plant, of which the work is proceeded by a multiplicity of managers and workers in cooperation, and also capable of reducing a term of construction work or an inspection period of the large-size plant.
To accomplish the above objects, according to one aspect of the present
Hirono Shuji
Ito Arata
Kimura Motohiko
Kyoda Shigeru
Sato Hitoshi
Chilcot Richard
Foley & Lardner
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
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