Embracing Technology – Lessons Learned From A Failed Technology Startup

By Gregory Lormand   In the early 2000’s, I, along with three partners set out to create a new technology platform in the space of performance and cost benchmarking.  Our company, ePerformance Group International (ePGI) and our flagship product, BenchmarkCommunities™ was a completely new concept on delivering real-time, online performance benchmarking information and analysis capabilities.  […]

Plant Services Introduces New Products

Thimble Puller BCP’s Plant Services Division has been working on fine tuning two new products that are immediately available for use by utility clients for their Incore Flux Thimble needs. The first is a lightweight hand tool called the ‘Thimble Puller’. The Puller is a manually operated device that can be used to aid in […]

BCP Design Results in Reduction of Contamination

After BCP completes the Incore Flux Thimble Cleaning at a client Seal Table, the final activity is to run a Dummy Detector cable down the full length of the thimble bore, thereby verifying that it is open and free to the Flux Detector Cable insertion. This activity is the one that most leads to contamination […]

Plant Services Spring Outage Work

The Plant Services Division has completed their Spring 2009 work and are happy to be back home after more than a month away. What started as a very busy work period, declined somewhat and then picked back up. Two utilities cancelled contracts already in place, and two others delayed work until their next outage under […]

Flux Thimble Repositioning and Expansion

Background Due to vibration of flux thimbles in certain reactor vessels, it becomes necessary to reposition the thimbles as an economical fix. BCP shortens the thimble by withdrawing the thimble from the core and cutting off a 1″ to 3″ length, then re-establishing a new high pressure seal at the seal table. This type of […]

Conduit Cleaning

Background After a few years of operation, many plants experience difficulty in pulling (or retracting) the thimbles back to allow for the fuel shuffle and reload. When this problem is caused by debris falling into the bore of the thimble conduits (or guide tubes), BCP’s process of conduit cleaning draws the debris away from the […]

High Pressure Seal Refurbishment

Background As plants age, inevitably the high pressure seal fittings on the thimbles and conduits of the seal table are used — and sometimes misused — requiring the complete changeout of the fittings and ferrule sets. BCP can refurbish (remove and replace) the high pressure seals, and it has been proven that these fittings can […]

Incore Flux Thimble Straightening

BCP’s Plant Services Division personnel have designed and built a flux thimble straightening tool that enables a one-entry job, requiring just minutes per thimble. This tool has been used successfully in several nuclear power stations to straighten multiple thimbles. Use of this specialized tooling greatly reduces unnecessary radiation exposure to personnel and the production of […]

BCP’s Plant Services Moves to New Offices

BCP’s Plant Services Division has been actively serving our clients since 1990 from our office and shop area in Dunedin, Florida. In July of 2007, our landlord’s business was expanding so much that they needed our space and we began our search for new accommodations in the area. Our Fall outage work was fairly large, […]