Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Unit 4 in Canada Completes Installation of 480 Calandria Tubes, Setting a Record

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 13, Canadian nuclear operator Bruce Power announced that Unit 4 at the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in Ontario has completed the installation of 480 calandria tubes, 25 days ahead of the equivalent construction milestone for Unit 3, setting a new installation progress record for CANDU heavy water reactor refurbishment projects. This installation is part of Unit 4's Major Component Replacement (MCR) project. The construction team used six-axis robotic automated tools to complete the precision assembly of the calandria tubes and connecting components.

The six-axis robotic system was jointly designed, tested, trained for, and functionally developed by Bruce Power, Shoreline Power Group, ATS Automation, and Calian Engineering. During construction, the automated equipment performed installation from work faces on both sides of the reactor, inserting the calandria tube liners into designated positions and then machining the connection points to the target diameter through a rolling process to form sealed connections. The system controls installation precision through micron-level measurement and reduces the time construction personnel are exposed to radiation.

The robotic technology had previously been deployed during the Major Component Replacement of Unit 3. In August 2026, the Unit 4 construction team installed 20 calandria tubes within 24 hours, surpassing the previous single-day record of 16 set by Unit 3. Following the completion of all calandria tube installations, Unit 4 has entered the fuel channel installation phase, with pressure tube and related reactor internals installation to follow.

Bruce Nuclear Generating Station Unit 4 is the third unit to undergo Major Component Replacement under Bruce Power's Life Extension Program. The program covers six units, Units 3 through 8. Units 6 and 3 have completed refurbishment and returned to service. According to the schedule published by Bruce Power, Unit 5 is planned to begin Major Component Replacement in November 2026, followed by Units 7 and 8, with the overall refurbishment program scheduled for completion by 2033. The related projects are expected to extend the operating life of the units by 30 to 35 years.